What's New — Recording Interaction Events Instead of Screenshots
On the 14th (local time), OpenAI introduced 'Computer History' to the ChatGPT desktop app for Mac. The feature remembers which apps and websites a user has used on their Mac and applies that context to future conversations and tasks, replacing OpenAI's earlier research preview, 'Chronicle.' While Chronicle captured screenshots of a user's screen to understand work context, Computer History uses macOS's accessibility system to record interaction events such as clicks, keystrokes, keyboard shortcuts, and app switches. It does not collect screenshots, screen recordings, microphone input, or system audio, and it does not record activity conducted in private browsing mode. OpenAI stated that this new approach reduces token usage compared to Chronicle while strengthening privacy controls.
Collected events are periodically converted into text summaries, which are then used to generate a local memory file in Markdown format on the user's Mac. Users can review their activity by date and time on a timeline screen and ask ChatGPT questions such as "What was I doing before my last break?" or "Summarize what I did yesterday." When ChatGPT identifies recurring task patterns, it suggests 'Skills' or automation ideas on the timeline, and users can then ask Codex to build reusable templates or workflows based on these suggestions. For example, a recurring pattern of switching between a document editor, web browser, and project management tool could be developed into a single automated task. Suggested use cases include finding recently edited documents or generating standup summaries for work reports.
Enterprise Workspaces — Both Admin Approval and Individual Consent Required
Computer History is not enabled by default; it is an opt-in feature that requires explicit user consent. Users can manage which apps and websites are tracked through include and exclude lists, pause or resume recording at any time from the macOS menu bar, and delete some or all previously recorded activity. In business and enterprise workspaces, an administrator must first enable the feature, but admin activation does not automatically apply it to employees. Each user must individually consent, and ChatGPT's memory feature must be turned on for it to work.
The feature is currently available to Pro, Business, and Enterprise subscribers of the ChatGPT Mac app. It is not available to Free, Plus, Go, or Edu users, and it is not yet available in the European Economic Area (EEA), the UK, or Switzerland, though support is planned within the coming weeks. It has not yet been released for the ChatGPT desktop app on Windows, and no specific launch timeline has been disclosed.
Storage, Training, and Security — Three Things Administrators Should Check in the Documentation
Data storage operates on two layers. According to OpenAI, temporary event files are stored within the ChatGPT app group on the Mac and deleted after 48 hours, but the memory files generated from this data remain on the local file system in plain-text Markdown until the user manually deletes them. Because these files are not encrypted by Computer History itself, there is a possibility that other programs running under the same macOS user account could access them. OpenAI explained that while it uses its own servers to convert temporary event files into memory, it does not retain those event files after processing unless legally required to do so.
Training usage also operates on two layers. OpenAI stated that the files generated by Computer History are not themselves used to train AI models. However, if that memory is later used as context in a ChatGPT conversation, the content of that conversation may be used for AI training depending on the user's data control settings. On the security front, there is a risk of prompt injection. Because Computer History uses content and interactions from websites and apps as context, a webpage containing malicious instructions could potentially deceive ChatGPT or Codex into performing unintended actions — a risk OpenAI explicitly warns about in its official documentation. OpenAI recommends obtaining explicit consent from all participants when using messaging or communication apps, and advises pausing recording or adding apps to the exclude list entirely when dealing with sensitive data such as health, financial, or personal information.
What Korean Companies Should Consider — A Personal Productivity Feature, But the Decision Belongs to the Organization
While this feature is presented as an assistant function that remembers personal work context, the recorded activity may include sensitive content beyond work documents — personal messages, financial information, health data, customer information, and corporate confidential information. And the resulting memory file remains on the employee's Mac in plain-text Markdown. In business and enterprise workspaces, the feature won't activate unless an administrator enables it, so the first decision is whether to open this feature in the admin settings. If enabled, the recommended order is to first determine which apps and websites handling customer information or corporate secrets should be added to the exclude list, then check how endpoint security policies handle other programs' access to local files under the same macOS account, and finally confirm how data management settings are configured regarding whether conversation content is used for training.
One thing to check this week: If any members of your organization use ChatGPT Business or Enterprise on a Mac, verify in the workspace admin settings whether Computer History is enabled, and if so, create a one-page list of which apps and websites should be added to the exclude list. If no such list exists yet, creating one should come before turning on the feature.
Source: OpenAI Launches 'Computer History' for ChatGPT on Mac...Remembers App and Web Activity