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


MEP Title Sponsors Announced

Sep 23, 2026 - Trimble, Milwaukee Tool and Procore join the MEP Conference as the official title sponsors.


Clear the Air Nominated for Award

Sep 23, 2026 - The OMMA Awards honor the best in Online Media, Marketing and Advertising with 39 categories across two sections: Excellence in Online Advertising and Excellence in Media & Marketing.


Meet WindGate, the Newest SMACNA Associate Member

Sep 23, 2026 - California-based manufacturer has pioneered HVAC duct hardware for nearly 30 years, delivering innovative products designed around the needs of mechanical contractors in the field.