OpenAI Gives ChatGPT a Better ‘Memory’

OpenAI is giving ChatGPT a better memory.

The San Francisco artificial intelligence start-up said on Tuesday that it was releasing a new version of its chatbot that would remember what users say so that it could use that information in future chats.

If a user mentions a daughter, Lina, who is about to turn 5, likes the color pink and enjoys jellyfish, for example, ChatGPT can store this information and retrieve it as needed. When the same user asks the bot to “create a birthday card for my daughter,” it might generate a card with pink jellyfish that reads “Happy 5th Birthday, Lina!”

With this new technology, OpenAI continues to transform ChatGPT into an automated digital assistant that can compete with existing services like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa. Last year, the company allowed users to add instructions and personal preferences, such as details about their jobs or the size of their families, that the chatbot should consider during each conversation. Now, ChatGPT can draw on a much wider and more detailed array of information.

“We think that the most useful assistants are those that evolve with you — and keep up with you,” said Joanne Jang, an OpenAI product lead who helps oversee its memory project.

Although ChatGPT can now remember previous conversations, it can still make mistakes — just like humans can. When a user asks ChatGPT to make Lina a birthday card, the chatbot might create one with a subtle typo such as “Haippy 5th Birthday! Lina!”

The company is first providing the new technology to a limited number of users. It will be available to people using the free version of ChatGPT as well as those who subscribe to ChatGPT Plus, a more advanced service that costs $20 a month.