OpenAI adds a new feature called Computer History to the ChatGPT macOS application. Taking advantage of the user’s clicks and keyboard movements on the computer, the feature focuses on understanding the way it works and creating a timeline from the actions performed. ChatGPT and Codex can then use this history information when responding to a request. In addition, Computer History can offer automation suggestions for repetitive tasks and help continue previously abandoned tasks from where they left off. Thus, ChatGPT is intended to not only respond to the commands given at that moment, but also to use the context of previously performed operations on the computer.
Computer History is not enabled by default and the user must explicitly turn on the feature. OpenAI also offers users additional controls over which apps and websites are included in the history. While certain applications and websites can be excluded completely, records in the timeline can also be deleted one by one. This approach aims to provide more granular privacy control without completely turning off the feature. According to the information shared by OpenAI Product and Engineering Manager Ari Weinstein on X, Computer History automatically ignores content displayed in incognito or private tabs in internet browsers.
ChatGPT Computer History records events instead of screenshots
A brief demonstration from OpenAI gives a more concrete idea of how Computer History might work in everyday use. In the video, Dominik Kundel from the OpenAI Developer Experiences team asks the ChatGPT application to find the document it was last working on. The application can then check whether the document in question has been shared with other people via Slack. Using the same history, a brief summary of the work carried out on the computer in the morning can also be prepared. These examples show that the timeline is not just a recording screen that lists past activities, but can be used as a working context that ChatGPT can refer to in subsequent tasks.
The way Computer History works brings to mind the Recall feature developed by Microsoft for Windows. Both features try to make what the user has previously done on the computer later discoverable and usable by artificial intelligence. However, there is a distinct difference in data collection methods. Microsoft Recall was at the center of security and privacy discussions, especially when it was first announced, because it records computer usage through screenshots taken at regular intervals. OpenAI, on the other hand, states that Computer History does not record images, video or audio, but instead uses event recordings, which the company defines as “events”.
While this distinction is notable for how Computer History interprets activity on the computer, the feature can still provide comprehensive context about the user’s work habits. Collection of clicks, keyboard movements, applications used and related events; It makes it possible to later correlate information such as which document was worked on, which communication tool was used, or at what stage a particular task was left. Therefore, exclusion options by app and website can be useful, especially for people who use personal and work accounts on the same Mac. The ability to delete individual records also allows clearing certain events rather than eliminating the entire history. However, users will have to make a choice between the convenience of the feature and the detailed history created regarding computer use, according to their needs.
Computer History’s most obvious use seems to be reconstructing the context of work dispersed across different applications over the course of the day. Instead of manually searching through applications to find where a document is left, to check whether it has been shared with teammates, or to return to an unfinished task, ChatGPT can be used for help. In addition, the ability to generate automation suggestions from recurring usage patterns can make the feature more than just a tool that performs history searches. However, how useful the system will be will depend on how accurately recorded events can represent the user’s work and match the desired information with the correct context. While the lack of screenshots, video and audio collection creates a clear technical distinction between Computer History and Windows Recall, optional activation and detailed exclusion options also allow users to decide to what extent they use this function.
Join Channel