ChatGPT’s Computer History tracks your clicks and keystrokes

OpenAI has released a new functionality for ChatGPT known as Computer History, which allows the AI to monitor and record a user's activity on a Mac. According to reports from The Verge and CNET, the feature enables the system to track specific user interactions, including clicks and keystrokes. This data is then integrated into the AI's memory systems, effectively allowing ChatGPT to maintain a record of what the user is doing across their computer interface. The rollout has sparked immediate discussion regarding the depth of access the application now has over a user's desktop environment. Coverage from The Next Web emphasizes a significant security concern regarding how this data is handled.

The outlet reports that the ChatGPT feature logs keystrokes and subsequently stores this information in plain text. This specific detail regarding storage methods has led Digital Trends to characterize the Computer History tool as having one big privacy problem. The collective reporting across these five outlets suggests a tension between the utility of an AI that understands a user's workflow and the security risks associated with logging raw input data on a personal machine. To understand why this matters, readers should note that this capability moves ChatGPT from a chat-based interface to one that observes real-time system activity. As Cult of Mac describes it, the AI has essentially learned to watch everything a user does on their Mac.

This represents a shift in how AI interacts with hardware, moving toward a model of constant observation. The ability to add Mac activity to its memories means the AI can reference previous actions and inputs to inform future responses, creating a persistent log of user behavior. Future developments will likely center on the privacy implications of the plain text storage mentioned by The Next Web and the broader privacy concerns highlighted by Digital Trends. Monitoring will focus on whether OpenAI modifies how keystroke data is encrypted or stored following these reports. Users and analysts will be watching to see if the feature remains limited to Mac activity or expands to other operating systems, and whether the integration of system activity into the AI's memories becomes a default setting or remains an opt-in choice for the user.