AI Reality Check: Unexpected Risk: Chatbots with Memory

Learn more about how to leverage these automatic assistants in a way that safeguards your important data.

AI chatbot - Artificial Intelligence digitalOpenAI has recently introduced a new feature: Your ChatGPT account will remember what you have done in the past and use that information to give you better prompting results. Google does something similar and includes your search results. 

While the improved quality this feature will provide is good news, what is potentially not so good is when team members use their private chatbot accounts for work. Sensitive and/or contractually restricted information, like contract documents, are uploaded and saved in memory. While this isn’t a huge risk if the person stays, it opens unexpected risks if they leave or even if a consultant or temporary worker, like an intern, uses their chatbots for company work. 

For the near term, there is an easy fix—ask that anyone using personal chatbots turn on “Temporary Chat” for all queries or work done with company information. This might also be a good practice to consider for company-managed chatbot accounts.

← Back to AI Reality Checks


Apr 23, 2025 Member Update

Latest Articles


Keith Sonderling Visits SMACNA Philadelphia

Jun 17, 2026 - The Acting Secretary of Labor visits SMACNA contractor Prime Sheet Metal and holds contractor issues roundtable SMACNA chapter leadership to learn more about the regional and national HVAC market and industry workforce development.


Contractor Spotlight: Sheet Metal Werks

Jun 17, 2026 - Learn more about the Chicago-based family company that started in 1987 that has grown into one of the leading firms in the region.


New Clear the Air Episode

Jun 17, 2026 - Paul Heimann (Welsch), Tom Mascari (Mendel), and Rob Schimmelpfennig (HAVE) join Seth Lennon to talk more about building a durable customer base and how to retain those leads long-term.