Anthropic is introducing a major upgrade to its Claude AI chatbot, allowing the system to “remember” details from past conversations without user prompting — a move that brings it closer to the long-term memory capabilities already deployed by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
The new feature, which begins rolling out on Thursday, will initially be available to Max subscribers, who can enable “memory” through their settings. Anthropic confirmed that the feature will reach Pro subscribers “over the coming days,” while Team and Enterprise users have had access since September. The company did not indicate when, or if, the feature would extend to free users.
In a statement, Anthropic said the rollout represents a step toward “complete transparency” in how AI remembers users’ data. Unlike competing systems that sometimes rely on background summaries, Claude’s memory interface will display exactly what the model remembers, allowing users to toggle, edit, or delete individual memories through natural conversation.
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“For instance,” the company explained, “users can tell Claude to forget an old job entirely or focus on a new project,” giving them granular control over their stored information. The update will also introduce “distinct memory spaces,” letting users separate memories for different contexts such as work, education, or personal use. This, Anthropic said, should prevent “memory bleed” — where information from one context inadvertently appears in another.
The feature has been one of the most requested among Claude users. Until recently, Anthropic’s chatbot could only recall previous conversations if users explicitly told it to do so, a process many found cumbersome compared to rivals.
The change brings Claude more in line with the competition. OpenAI’s ChatGPT has offered memory since early 2024, enabling persistent recall of details such as names, writing styles, and project information. Google’s Gemini also integrated a similar feature later that year, letting users manage stored memory directly within the chat interface.
Anthropic’s latest release also includes a data portability feature that allows users to import memories from ChatGPT or Gemini. The company said users will be able to copy and paste previous memories into Claude, and export them “anytime” with “no lock-in.” This transparency-first approach appears aimed at distinguishing Anthropic’s data practices from rivals often criticized for retaining user information without sufficient clarity.
The new function could reshape how users interact with Claude. With persistent memory, the AI can offer more continuity, context, and personalization — remembering user preferences, ongoing projects, and specific instructions without requiring restatement. For professional users, it also means Claude can act as a long-term digital collaborator rather than a short-term assistant.
However, AI memory systems have raised ethical and psychological concerns over privacy, bias, and human-like dependence. Experts warn that persistent recall could encourage emotional overreliance on chatbots, fueling phenomena sometimes referred to as “AI psychosis” — where users form distorted perceptions of reality through repeated interaction with highly affirming or sycophantic AI systems.
Anthropic has said it is approaching these risks cautiously. The company maintains that users will always retain “full visibility and control” of what Claude remembers, and that stored data can be deleted or compartmentalized at any time. Its documentation emphasizes that all memories are encrypted and reviewed for safety before integration into user sessions.
The memory rollout marks another juncture in the escalating competition among major AI players. OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic have all been racing to make their chatbots indispensable by improving personalization and reducing the friction of restarting conversations from scratch. The update is expected to help Anthropic close the gap with its better-known rivals — and possibly set a new standard for how AI models handle user recall with transparency and user control at the center.
As AI tools increasingly blend into personal and professional workflows, memory-enabled systems like Claude are expected to define the next stage of the chatbot race.