ToolsAugust 16, 2026via The Verge AI
ChatGPT’s Computer History tracks your clicks and keystrokes
Why it matters
A major product feature ships that fundamentally changes how ChatGPT learns about individual users' workflows — opt-in but pervasive, with implications for privacy-conscious practitioners and those building AI-augmented work habits.
Key signals
- Computer History feature on macOS ChatGPT desktop app
- Tracks clicks, keystrokes, and user actions to build activity timeline
- Uses activity data for automation suggestions and task resumption
- Opt-in rather than opt-out
- Users can exclude specific apps and websites
- Users can delete individual entries
- Automatically ignores incognito/private browser tabs
- Product managed by Ari Weinstein (OpenAI Product and Engineering)
The hook
ChatGPT's desktop app now watches everything you do. Computer History turns your clicks and keystrokes into training data for on-device automation.
ChatGPT's desktop app on macOS has a new feature called Computer History that turns your actions into training data, learning how you work, suggesting automations, and even picking up tasks you left half done. It uses your activity to build a timeline that ChatGPT and Codex can reference when you ma…