What does your AI remember about you, and how do you change it?
Read what it remembers. Fix what's old, and keep work apart.
It remembers your old team
Made up: you moved teams in June. In October, it still writes for your old manager.
Two things it carries
Standing instructions you write, for every chat. Memory it picks up from your chats. In ChatGPT and Gemini, also from apps like Gmail.
Read it, and fix it
Open its memory and read what it keeps. Fix or delete what's wrong, old or confidential. In Gemini, ask it.
Deleting the chat isn't enough
In Claude and ChatGPT, a memory can outlive its chat. Delete the memory itself, not just the chat.
One chat, kept out
Before the first message, switch memory off for that chat. Or open a temporary or incognito chat. Nothing goes in.
Keep a project apart
Give sensitive work its own project, with its memory kept apart. Claude: Use account memory off. ChatGPT: Project-only memory.
At work, an admin may decide
On a Gemini work account, the admin decides. Chats are kept 18 months by default. Memory is for personal accounts.
Tidy your AI's memory
Settings only. Nothing gets pasted.
- Open your main tool's memory settings.
- Note three things it remembers, on paper.
- Fix one that's wrong or out of date.
- Write three lines of instructions.
Your three lines of instructions
I work in [team] and write for [readers]. Plain British English, main point first. If unsure, ask. Never guess names, numbers or dates.
Good looks likeWhat it remembers is true today, and your three lines are saved.
In your assistant · as of Oct 2026 · Claude, ChatGPT, GeminiFind it, fix it, switch it off
Menus move often. Not legal advice: your organisation's rules on data come first.
My pickClaude first, ChatGPT second, Gemini third. Claude makes control easiest: every remembered item is a topic you can read, edit or delete. Use the tool your company approves.
Claude
Calls them Instructions for Claude and Memory
Click your initials first.
Every item is under Topics: open one to edit or delete it.
Off before the first message, or use incognito (the ghost icon).
Off, on the project's page.
To stop it, switch off Generate memory from chats: Pause keeps what it has; Reset memory deletes it all for good.
ChatGPT
Calls them Custom Instructions and Memory
With Enable customization on.
Type or highlight to correct the summary. Sources under an answer may show what it used.
In a new chat, before the first message.
No Work in that project.
On Business and Enterprise, workspace owners and admins manage memory settings.
Gemini
Instructions for Gemini and Memory, personal accounts only
Then Add.
Ask it: “Did you use any info from past chats?”
Next to New chat. Switching Personal Intelligence off in Tools still lets the chat feed memory.
Delete the chats with that fact, and disconnect the app it came from.
Remembered facts need a Google AI plan, US only for now. On a work account, the admin decides.
Quick check · three questionsDid it stick?
1Which do you write yourself?
The answer: B Standing instructions. Memory builds up by itself, so you tidy it.2How do you keep one Claude chat out of memory?
The answer: C Before the first message. Anthropic says deleting a chat does not remove memories made from it.3On a Gemini work account, who decides how long chats are kept?
The answer: A Your admin. On work accounts, the admin controls Gemini's activity settings.
Just saying forget thisSide note
Work and homeSide note
At work, in ClaudeSide note
Sources, checked 16 Oct 2026Source
Product details as of Oct 2026, each checked on the vendor's own page on 16 Oct 2026. Recheck by 16 Nov 2026. The example in the pictures is made up for this lesson.
- Anthropic, Use Claude's chat search and memory (Topics; Generate memory from chats; Pause and Reset; Memory off in the + menu; incognito; Use account memory; deleted chats don't remove memories; owners and admins, read 16 Oct 2026)
- Anthropic, Understanding Claude's personalization features (Instructions for Claude, read 16 Oct 2026)
- Anthropic, Claude release notes (25 Aug 2026: memory on by default for Free, Pro and Max; off for Team and Enterprise)
- OpenAI, Memory in ChatGPT (sources of memory, including connected apps such as Gmail; the summary; Sources; deleting a chat doesn't delete a saved memory; owners and admins, read 16 Oct 2026)
- OpenAI, ChatGPT Custom Instructions (read 16 Oct 2026)
- OpenAI, Temporary chat in ChatGPT (Temporary; Unpersonalized; never creates memories, read 16 Oct 2026)
- OpenAI, Projects in ChatGPT (Default or Project-only memory; no Work in that project, read 16 Oct 2026)
- Google, Manage what Gemini remembers about you (Instructions for Gemini; the Memory switch; a Google AI plan and the US for remembered facts; forget requests not always perfect, read 16 Oct 2026)
- Google, Get personalization with memory of your past Gemini chats (ask if it used past chats; delete chats to delete a memory, read 16 Oct 2026)
- Google, Connect your Google apps to personalize Gemini (disconnect the app; the Tools switch, read 16 Oct 2026)
- Google, Use Gemini Apps (Temporary chat, personal accounts, read 16 Oct 2026)
- Google, Use Gemini Apps with a work or school Google Account (the admin decides; kept 18 months by default, read 16 Oct 2026)
Free kitThe 2026 AI StarterBring this to your teamAI implementation · Get in touchBack to level 3, Power features
Read what it remembers. Fix what's old, and keep work apart.
Next lesson · 15 minWhat happened to custom GPTs and Gems, and what replaces them?