AI memory

In short

AI memory is a chatbot feature that saves details about you, such as your job, preferences or ongoing projects, and brings them into later conversations, so you do not have to repeat yourself each time you start a new chat.

Also called: Chatbot memory, ChatGPT memory, Claude memory, Persistent memory
Topic: Using AI tools
Level: Beginner
First described: OpenAI began testing memory in ChatGPT on 13 February 2024; the research idea of managing memory beyond the context window was set out in the MemGPT paper by Packer and colleagues in October 2023¹³.

A language model does not learn from your chats as you go. Each conversation normally starts blank, limited to what fits in its context window. Memory features work around this by storing notes outside the model and adding the relevant ones to future conversations.

ChatGPT began testing memory on 13 February 2024 and opened it to Free, Plus, Team and Enterprise users on 5 September 2024¹. In April 2025 OpenAI extended it to reference all of a user's past conversations, so it now works two ways: "saved memories" you ask it to keep, and "chat history" insights it gathers from past chats¹.

Anthropic added memory to Claude on 11 September 2025 for Team and Enterprise plans and extended it to Pro and Max on 23 October 2025². Claude keeps a separate memory for each project, so one client's work does not bleed into another's, and shows a summary that users can view and edit².

These features are optional and can be switched off. ChatGPT users can delete individual memories or use Temporary Chat, which neither uses nor updates memory; deleting a chat does not erase memories already taken from it¹. Claude offers incognito chats that are not saved to memory².

Research systems go further. MemGPT, a 2023 Berkeley project, borrowed the idea of an operating system moving data between fast and slow memory, letting a chatbot page information in and out of its limited context window³.

Example

Tell ChatGPT once that you are vegetarian and live in Leeds, and weeks later a request for "a quick dinner idea" can come back meat-free without you saying so again.

Why it matters

Memory makes assistants more useful but also means a company is storing a profile of you. It is worth knowing how to view, edit and delete what a chatbot remembers.

Questions people ask

How do I turn off ChatGPT memory?

In ChatGPT go to Settings, then Personalization, then Memory. While memory is off, ChatGPT neither creates nor uses memories. You can also delete specific memories, or use Temporary Chat for a one-off conversation without memory¹.

Does deleting a chat delete what ChatGPT remembers?

No. OpenAI says memories are not linked to specific conversations, so deleting a chat does not erase its memories. You have to delete the memory itself in settings¹.

Is AI memory the same as the context window?

No. The context window is what the model can see in the current conversation. Memory stores information between conversations and feeds selected parts back in later. Research systems like MemGPT manage both, moving information in and out of the context window³.

Related terms

Tools that use it

Sources

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