AI MEMORY

AI memory: what it is and who holds yours.

AI memory is what an assistant knows about you beyond the conversation in front of it: facts, preferences, people and past chats it can draw on next time. It can live inside one assistant, which controls it, or in a layer you own, which any assistant you connect can read with your permission.

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What is AI memory?

Without memory, every chat starts from nothing and you explain yourself again. With it, the assistant carries facts, preferences and history from one conversation to the next.

A model has no memory of its own. Anything it appears to remember was stored somewhere and put back in front of it. Where that store lives, who controls it, and whether it survives a change of assistant are separate questions from how good the model is.

What kinds of AI memory are there?

Four things get called AI memory. They behave differently, so it helps to tell them apart.

Context window
The text the model can see in the current conversation. It is working memory, not storage: when a chat ends or grows too long, older parts fall out of view.
Saved memories
Facts an assistant has written down about you, because you asked or because it judged them worth keeping. Most assistants let you view, edit and delete them in settings.
Chat history
Past conversations the assistant can search or read back when it answers. Useful, but it is a record of what was said rather than a tidy set of facts.
External memory layers
A store held outside any one assistant, which assistants read through a connector such as the Model Context Protocol (MCP). You decide what goes in and which assistants can read it.

What do ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and Perplexity remember?

Each row below is taken from the vendor's own documentation and dated. Plans and features change often, so check the settings in your own account too.

What five assistants remember, how you get it out, and whether you can connect your own memory
AssistantWhat it remembersExportConnect your own memory (MCP)
ChatGPTVerified

Two parts: saved memories, which are stored separately from chat history, and reference chat history, which lets ChatGPT use relevant information from past chats. ChatGPT can decide what to remember, or you can ask it. You view and manage both in Settings, Personalization, Memory. OpenAI says features vary by plan, region, platform and workspace settings. 1

Settings, Data controls, Export data gives a ZIP of chat history and account data, with a link that expires after 24 hours from receipt. Exports can take up to 7 days to arrive. Available on Free, Go, Plus, Pro and eligible Edu workspaces, not Business or Enterprise. Memory is not named as part of the export. 2

Full MCP support, including write actions, is a beta for Business, Enterprise and Edu on ChatGPT on the web. Pro can connect MCP servers with read and fetch permissions in developer mode. Web only. Not available on Plus or Free. 3

ClaudeVerified

Memory is on by default for Free, Pro and Max on the web, desktop and mobile apps; on Enterprise an owner allows it. You toggle Memory from chats under Settings, Your Claude (Settings, Memory in the older layout). It is saved as individual topics you can view, edit or delete under Manage. Each project has its own memory: within a project Claude uses that project's memory plus memory from chats outside projects, not other projects' memory, and Use account memory can be turned off per project. Deleting a conversation does not remove memories made from it. Incognito chats are not saved to memory. Searching past chats is on paid plans only. 4

An experimental import, on every plan on the web and desktop, brings memory across from another assistant: you run a prompt in the old assistant and paste the result into Settings, Memory. 5

Settings, Privacy, Export data, on the web or desktop app. Not available from the iOS or Android apps. Exports include conversation data and account user data. The download link expires after 24 hours. Memory is not named as part of the export. 6

Custom connectors over remote MCP on every plan. Free is limited to one. 7

GeminiVerified

Saved info sits under Personal context, where you can edit or delete it. You need to be 18 or over and signed in. 8

In the UK, Memory, which learns from past chats, is on by default and can be switched off in Settings, Personal context, Memory. Google said on 29 April 2026 it would reach all users in the coming weeks; it did not separate free and paid plans. 9

Google's own pages disagree on whether memory import is available in the UK: its UK blog says it is rolling out, while its help page says it is not available in the UK. 10

Export runs through Google Takeout. Takeout includes Gems (tick Gemini) and Gemini Apps Activity, meaning chats, generated media and uploads (My Activity, Gemini Apps). Saved info is not named as part of the export. 11

Reported, not in Google's consumer help. Google's consumer help pages do not document custom MCP as of 17 October 2026. Third-party guides report an 'Add a custom app' option under Connected Apps on the Gemini web app, limited by plan and region (reported as AI Ultra and US). Check in your own account. 12

GrokVerified

Not documented by xAI as of 20 October 2026. 13

Download and delete your data in Settings, Data Controls. Deletion completes within 30 days. 13

Custom MCP connectors are open to every Grok user at grok.com/connectors. 14

PerplexityVerified

Holds preferences, facts and search history. You turn it on or off under Personalize, delete one memory or clear them all. Off in incognito. 15

No self-serve export. You can request access to your data, answered within 30 days. 16

Local MCP in the Mac app. Remote MCP is listed as coming soon. 17

Where does your AI memory live, and who controls it?

It can live inside one assistant, which is convenient until you move, or in a layer you own, which the assistants read with your permission. The first is simpler. The second is what you keep when you switch.

Memory inside one assistant compared with a memory layer you ownOn the left, one assistant holds your memory inside it, and nothing else can read it. On the right, your memory sits in a layer you own, and three assistants each read it through a connector with your permission.Inside one assistantAssistantYour memoryA layer you ownAssistant AAssistant BAssistant Creads with your permissionYour memory
On the left, one assistant holds your memory inside it, and nothing else can read it. On the right, your memory sits in a layer you own, and three assistants each read it through a connector with your permission.

What do you keep when you switch assistant?

Memory held inside one product goes when the product goes, and export formats differ. None of the five assistants above names memory as part of its export, so what you take away is mostly chat history.

Memory held in a layer you own stays where it is, and the next assistant reads the same store.

Personal AI memory versus developer agent memory

Search for AI memory and you will also find tools built for developers. They are good at what they do, and they answer a different question: how an app or agent remembers its users. Personal AI memory is held for one person and read by the assistants that person already uses.

Mem0 describes itself as a memory layer for AI agents and apps, built by developers into their own products. 18

Zep describes itself as context for agents, assembled from business data, documents and conversations. 19

Supermemory describes itself as a memory engine for agents, offered through an API, plugins and MCP. 20

What UK data rules apply?

A memory about you is personal data, so UK GDPR applies: a lawful basis for holding it, a route to see it, correct it and delete it, and a clear account of who processes it. The regulator is the Information Commission (formerly the ICO).

Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, new rules on automated decision-making and on time limits for subject access requests came into force on 5 February 2026. 21

The Act's duty on organisations to handle data protection complaints came into force on 19 June 2026. 22

On 30 September 2026 the ICO's functions passed to the Information Commission (formerly the ICO). 23

Read AI memory and UK GDPR for what applies in detail, and our trust commitments for how we hold ourselves to it.

How do you export or delete your AI memory?

Each assistant has its own route, shown in the table above. Saved memories are usually deleted one by one in settings; a full export mostly gives you chat history.

Already have an export? The Export Inspector shows what it holds, on your own device.

See what your AI export holds

Closing your account gives you seven days to change your mind, then erases your memories, workspaces and account. Voice recordings and the raw text of voice notes are not yet removed with them, and we are changing that. Your export is emailed to you first, and you get a receipt.

What AI Twin is

AI Twin is a personal AI memory layer, built in the UK. It keeps what matters to you as typed, searchable memory stored in the UK, and assistants that support MCP connectors, such as Claude, can read it with your permission.

AI Twin connects to assistants over MCP. Plan limits differ by assistant: Claude offers custom connectors on every plan, with one on Free; ChatGPT offers read-only access on Pro and full read and write as a beta on Business, Enterprise and Edu; Grok opens connectors to every user; Perplexity offers local MCP in its Mac app, with remote MCP listed as coming soon; Google does not document custom MCP for the consumer Gemini app, though third-party guides report a limited option.

Search works by meaning and by exact words; keyword search is English-tuned today; per-language tuning on the roadmap.

Questions people ask about AI memory

Is AI memory the same as chat history?

No. Chat history is a record of past conversations. AI memory is anything an assistant can draw on about you, and chat history is one source of it, alongside saved memories and external memory layers.

Can I see what an assistant remembers about me?

For saved memories, usually yes. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity each document a settings page where you can view and delete them. xAI does not document a memory feature for Grok.

Does deleting a memory remove it everywhere?

Not always. OpenAI says deleted memories can stay in its logs for up to 30 days, and that turning memory off does not delete past chats. Check each assistant's own help pages.

Can I move my memory from one assistant to another?

Partly. Exports mostly give you chat history, and none of the five assistants here names memory in its export. Claude offers an experimental import. A layer you own avoids the move, because the next assistant reads the same store.

Is my AI memory personal data under UK GDPR?

Yes. A memory about you is personal data, so you have the right to see it, correct it and delete it, and in many cases to take a copy elsewhere.

Is personal AI memory the same as developer agent memory?

No. Mem0, Zep and Supermemory are tools developers build into their own agents and apps. Personal AI memory is held for one person and read by the assistants they already use.

Does AI Twin train AI models on my memory?

No. Your content is not used to train AI models. Each model provider's terms are being confirmed for this; the list is on our sub-processors page.

Sources

Every third-party claim on this page comes from these primary sources.

  1. OpenAI Help Centre: Memory FAQ. OpenAI. Verified .
  2. OpenAI Help Centre: Exporting your ChatGPT history and data. OpenAI. Verified .
  3. OpenAI Help Centre: Developer mode and MCP. OpenAI. Verified .
  4. Claude Help Centre: Memory. Anthropic. Verified .
  5. Claude Help Centre: Importing memory. Anthropic. Verified .
  6. Claude Help Centre: Exporting your data. Anthropic. Verified .
  7. Claude Help Centre: Custom connectors. Anthropic. Verified .
  8. Gemini Apps Help: Saved info. Google. Verified .
  9. Google UK blog, 29 April 2026. Google. Verified .
  10. Gemini Apps Help: Import memory. Google. Verified .
  11. Gemini Apps Help: Export your Gemini data. Google. Verified .
  12. Third-party install guide (Harvv). Google. Verified .
  13. xAI legal FAQ. xAI. Verified .
  14. xAI docs: Grok connectors, 10 October 2026. xAI. Verified .
  15. Perplexity Help Centre: Memory. Perplexity. Verified .
  16. Perplexity Help Centre: GDPR at Perplexity. Perplexity. Verified .
  17. Perplexity Help Centre: MCP. Perplexity. Verified .
  18. mem0.ai. Mem0. Verified .
  19. getzep.com. Zep. Verified .
  20. supermemory.ai. Supermemory. Verified .
  21. The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (Commencement) Regulations 2026. UK regulatory. Verified .
  22. Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, section 103. UK regulatory. Verified .
  23. GOV.UK: Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 plans for commencement. UK regulatory. Verified .

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