2 days ago
Anthropic Brings On-Demand Chat History Recall to Claude
Anthropic has brought a new function to the Claude AI chatbot, which lets users search, retrieve, and summarize past conversations on request. Shown in a YouTube video, the tool can recall previous chats when a user asks, for example, about discussions before a vacation. Claude summarizes the important discussions and asks if they should keep working on the project. The company says that this can help people pick up their tasks without starting over, which usually happens with other LLMs.
The memory tool works across web, desktop, and mobile, and can keep different projects and workspaces separate. It is currently available for Claude's Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers, with more plans expected to get access soon. Users can activate it through the 'Search and reference chats' option in the settings menu.
Anthropic says that this is not a persistent memory system like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Claude will only reference previous chats when explicitly prompted and does not build an ongoing profile of the user, hence, more privacy control over their data.
Industry observers say memory functions are becoming an important point for chatbot services, as they can improve the effectiveness of ongoing projects and long-term use.
Online debate about chatbot memory has grown in recent weeks. ChatGPT's automatic conversation recall is undoubtedly convenient, but it has raised concerns regarding privacy and mental health. Some users have reported feeling emotionally dependent on the tool, and a few others have experienced distress from its interactions, as reported by The Verge.
