Anthropic has extended its memory capability to the free tier of its Claude AI chatbot, allowing users to reference past conversations. The company also released a tool to import memories from competing chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini. This update coincides with Claude's surge in popularity amid a dispute with the US Department of Defense.
Anthropic announced on March 2, 2026, that the memory feature for its Claude AI chatbot is now available on the free plan. Previously a paid option, the feature enables Claude to reference previous conversations to inform its responses. Anthropic first introduced memory capabilities last August, followed by compartmentalization of memories in the fall.
Users can enable memory during chats with Claude. If they choose to disable it, options include pausing the feature to preserve memories for later use or deleting them entirely from Anthropic's servers.
Complementing this, Anthropic launched a memory import tool on the same day. The tool extracts context and memories from other AI chatbots, generating a text prompt that users can copy and paste into Claude. Supported competitors include ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot. Assimilation takes about 24 hours, visible via the "See what Claude learned about you" button. In the "Manage memory" section, users can edit what Claude remembers. Anthropic notes that Claude prioritizes "work-related topics to enhance its effectiveness as a collaborator" and may not retain unrelated personal details.
Claude's popularity has grown rapidly, recently reaching the top spot in the App Store's free apps charts, surpassing ChatGPT. This rise aligns with Anthropic's ongoing contract dispute with the US government over AI safeguards. On Friday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated Anthropic a "supply chain risk" after the company refused a Pentagon contract involving mass surveillance against Americans and fully autonomous weapons. Anthropic has vowed to challenge the label. Meanwhile, OpenAI is reportedly assuming Anthropic's former role with the Department of Defense, prompting some users to boycott ChatGPT and cancel subscriptions.
