OpenAI launches Computer History, an opt-in feature that turns recent computer activity on macOS into memories and a timeline that ChatGPT and Codex can use
OpenAI's opt-in Computer History captures a local timeline of Mac activity so ChatGPT Work can recover context across selected apps and sites.
The New StackFrederic Lardinois
Context & Ripple Effects
OpenAI first tested screen-capture-based context for Codex in a Chronicle research preview on macOS, then combined ChatGPT and Codex in a single desktop app. Computer History extends that arc by making recent activity available as a reusable timeline for the assistant surfaces users already switch between.
First-order effects
Mac users who opt in can give ChatGPT and Codex access to recent activity across selected apps and sites, reducing the need to reconstruct prior work in a new prompt.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT Work gains a persistent source of activity context alongside the cross-app and file context it was launched to gather.
Second-order effects
The merged ChatGPT and Codex desktop app becomes more valuable as a shared work surface: activity captured in one mode can inform help requested in another.
OpenAI must make the opt-in and app-selection boundaries legible, because the usefulness of timeline-based assistance depends on users allowing it to retain work context.
Third-order effects
If OpenAI continues joining chat, coding, and work tools to persistent activity history, its desktop product shifts from an on-demand assistant toward a workflow-native system of record for AI context.
The product pattern makes user-controlled context collection a durable design constraint for assistants that operate across applications, rather than treating memory as only a chat-history feature.
The trend: AI desktop assistants are evolving from prompt-by-prompt tools into context-carrying work surfaces that preserve selected activity across applications.
ChatGPT can now remember your activity across the apps and websites on your computer. With Computer History in the desktop app, future interactions feel more personalized and require less explanation. [video]
Computer History is wildly good. The timeline view with the suggested skills has been great. It's also so much faster and more efficient making Voice mode even more natural.
Rolling out globally in the ChatGPT desktop app on Mac for Pro, Business, and Enterprise. Access in the EEA, the UK, and Switzerland will follow in the coming weeks. If you're on a Business or Enterprise team, your admin will need to turn it on first. https://learn.chatgpt.com/..…
Codex and ChatGPT can now understand the context of your recent work. Opt into Computer History to give ChatGPT richer context, so it can pick up where you left off, understand patterns in your work, and suggest skills or scheduled tasks for work you repeat. [video]
browser history is a thing of the past. introducing Computer History. forgot what you were doing 3 tabs ago? the @chatgpt desktop app remembers how you work, where you left off, and suggests relevant skills. go check it out. you might forget something important. codex won't.
Today we're releasing Computer History in ChatGPT. It lets ChatGPT learn from everything you do on your computer, so it can better understand how you work, finish tasks that you're in the middle of, and suggest skills and automations based on how you use your computer. [video]
To use Computer History, opt in under Settings → Integrations in the ChatGPT desktop app on Mac. Rolling out globally now to Pro, Business, and Enterprise users, with access in the EEA, UK, and Switzerland to follow in the coming weeks.
Computer History builds on the Chronicle research preview with reduced token usage and more privacy controls. A new timeline view gives you the ability to look back on your work and build skills from your frequent tasks. From there or the menu bar, you can: - Clear all or