This is a new feature in the ChatGPT desktop app for macOS, allowing the model to see what users are doing on their computer to automatically generate memories and suggest workflows, giving future chat sessions better context.

However, this does not mean ChatGPT arbitrarily takes screenshots, records the screen, or captures the user's microphone and speaker audio. It only logs interaction events such as drafting emails, searching the web, and similar actions, and then periodically launches a virtual session to summarize the activity into memories before saving them locally on the machine.

According to the published documentation, memory files are saved as plain Markdown at ~/.codex/memories/extensions/skysight/. Event files are temporarily retained for 48 hours before being deleted.

This feature also poses a risk of prompt injection. If a user visits a website containing malicious instructions, ChatGPT could learn and execute them, creating a risk of machine compromise or data theft. As a result, users should carefully monitor what ChatGPT can learn through Computer History.

Computer History is currently rolling out globally to Pro, Business, and Enterprise users and is turned off by default. Users can enable and manage the feature under Settings > Computer history > History, where they can view and delete individual entries or clear history across selected timeframes.