OpenAI has introduced a feature called Computer History to ChatGPT’s desktop app on macOS, which records user actions — including clicks and keystrokes — to build a timeline that ChatGPT and Codex can reference when responding to requests. The feature was reported on August 16, 2026.
Computer History is designed to learn how a user works, suggest automations, and resume tasks that were left unfinished. In a demo video, Dominik Kundel, a member of OpenAI’s Developer Experiences team, showed the app locating the last document he edited, checking whether it had been shared via Slack, and summarizing how he spent his morning.
The feature is opt-in rather than opt-out. Users can exclude specific apps and websites from being tracked and can delete individual entries for more granular control. Ari Weinstein, Product and Engineering manager at OpenAI, stated on X that Computer History will automatically ignore content in incognito or private browser tabs.
OpenAI says Computer History does not capture images, videos, or audio, instead relying on “events” to log activity. This distinguishes it from Windows Recall, Microsoft’s AI feature that drew controversy for its reliance on screenshots — though the two features share a similar concept of building a record of user activity over time.
For users who adopt the feature, the opt-in structure and app-level exclusions may offer some degree of control over what data is collected. However, the feature’s core function — turning everyday computer activity into a reference layer for an AI assistant — could raise questions for users who are cautious about how their on-device behavior is stored and used.
Source: The Verge