Anthropic, the company behind the popular large language model Claude, has introduced a new capability that significantly enhances the chatbot’s utility by allowing it to search and reference past conversations. This feature, designed to provide richer context and more consistent responses, marks a key step in the ongoing competition between major AI assistants like ChatGPT and Gemini. The new function, which is now rolling out to Claude’s Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers, addresses a common user need for AI models that can retain and recall information across different sessions.
Unlike some competitors that offer a broad, persistent memory, Claude’s new capability is more focused and user-controlled. Users must explicitly enable the “Search and reference chats” feature in their settings, which then allows the AI to access past conversations for context within a current chat. This design gives users greater privacy and control, as the AI will not build a user-specific profile or automatically reference all historical data without permission. The feature’s implementation is straightforward: once activated, users can search through conversations in their projects or across all non-project chats, and the model can pull relevant information to inform its responses.
This new tool is a direct response to the demand for more personalized and streamlined AI interactions. By enabling Claude to access its own conversational history, Anthropic is aiming to make the chatbot a more effective and reliable assistant for long-term projects and ongoing tasks. For users who need to ensure certain conversations remain private, the ability to delete or disable the feature provides a clear way to manage their data. This thoughtful approach to data handling and personalization positions Claude as a strong contender in the rapidly evolving landscape of conversational AI.
