ChatGPT Computer History records activity on your Mac to save time

ChatGPT’s Computer History feature records a user’s activity on their Mac to help them save time.

As it faces competition from Anthropic, OpenAI is focusing on features designed to make ChatGPT and Codex users more productive. Among the company’s latest releases is a feature called “Computer History”, which could prove highly useful but also rather unsettling. With it, OpenAI offers a tool that remembers almost everything you do on your computer in order to save you time.

A rich source of information for AI

Computer History is optional and is not switched on by default. It does not record screenshots or audio, and the user must grant permission before the feature can access the applications and websites they use. However, once Computer History is enabled, it can create event streams from computer activity using data such as mouse clicks, keyboard input, keyboard shortcuts, application changes and the “context” available through accessibility functions. The reassuring aspect is that these event streams are stored locally and only temporarily on the computer. Open private browsing windows, for instance, are excluded from data collection.

Granting ChatGPT these permissions nevertheless unlocks useful new capabilities. A user could, for example, ask the AI to return to the work they were doing before taking a break. The feature could then reopen the relevant apps and documents while preparing the next step of the interrupted task. Using this history, ChatGPT can also help a user locate a file based on a description. More importantly, ChatGPT can detect patterns in certain recorded interaction streams and automate repetitive work. Put simply, the feature enables a person to train the AI to carry out some of their tasks.

Computer History is limited to macOS and unavailable in France

For now, access to Computer History remains fairly restricted. OpenAI is making the feature available only to subscribers to ChatGPT Pro, Business and Enterprise. It is also limited to macOS, with no Windows version available.

Users in France cannot currently access it either, even if they have one of these subscriptions. Indeed, OpenAI has not yet made Computer History available in countries within the European Economic Area.