OpenAI Introduces Memory Feature to ChatGPT: A Review

OpenAI recently unveiled a new feature for ChatGPT called “memory,” which stores things you explicitly ask the program for later use. This feature can be a way to make anything you build with ChatGPT, be it essays, resumes, or code, more attuned to your preferences.

The memory function is being slowly rolled out to the ChatGPT user base. OpenAI set me up with memory in my account, and I had the chance to try it out for myself.

How Does Memory Work?

The memory capability in ChatGPT is available to all paying users of the Plus version and allows users to ask the program to store specific pieces of information. These stored memories can then be recalled and used in future interactions with ChatGPT.

Users can make simple requests for the program to remember a certain fact or piece of information by starting a prompt with “remember that” and adding the desired content. ChatGPT will acknowledge the request and store the information in its memory bank.

Experiences with Memory Feature

My experience with the memory feature in ChatGPT was intriguing but also a bit cumbersome. While it was interesting to see how the program could recall specific details that I had stored, managing the entries in memory was quite basic and could benefit from further development.

One challenge I encountered was that the stored memories could sometimes be overridden by information from ChatGPT’s training data sets, making it difficult to ensure that the program retained the exact information I had requested.

Best Practices for Using Memory

While using the memory feature in ChatGPT, I found that it was more effective for personal preferences and fictional elements than for factual information or opinions on popular topics. The program tended to prioritize its pre-training data over user-inputted memories, especially when it came to well-known subjects.

However, I discovered that storing personal details or preferences, such as music preferences or character traits in a fictional story, yielded more consistent and relevant responses from ChatGPT.

Future Developments

As the memory feature continues to be refined and expanded, it will be interesting to see how OpenAI addresses the management of stored memories and the integration of this function with other features in ChatGPT.

Overall, the memory feature in ChatGPT shows promise for enhancing user interactions with the program and personalizing the output to better meet individual preferences and needs.