OpenAI Launches 'Computer History' Tracking for macOS
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
The new ChatGPT desktop feature monitors clicks and keystrokes to automate tasks and train AI models.
OpenAI has introduced a feature called Computer History for the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS, which monitors user activity to create a referenceable timeline. According to reporting from The Verge, the tool tracks clicks and keystrokes to learn user workflows, suggest automations, and resume unfinished tasks. This data is utilized by both ChatGPT and Codex.
Unlike Microsoft's Windows Recall, which utilized screenshots, OpenAI states that Computer History does not capture audio, video, or images, relying instead on "events." In a demonstration video, Dominik Kundel of OpenAI's Developer Experiences team showed the tool identifying a recently edited document and verifying via Slack if it had been shared with others to provide a morning activity recap.
The feature is designed as an opt-in system. Users have the ability to delete specific entries or exclude certain websites and applications from being tracked. Additionally, Ari Weinstein, a Product and Engineering manager at OpenAI, stated on X that the system will automatically ignore any content located in private or incognito browser tabs.