ChatGPT Mac swaps Chronicle for opt-in Computer History
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- ChatGPT for Mac launched an opt-in "Computer History" feature that replaces the prior "Chronicle" tool, letting the app remember user activity on the machine
- OpenAI opted to power the new feature via keylogging rather than screenshot capture, a design choice The Register framed as swapping "Recall-style screenshot surveillance" for "friendly keylogging"
- The New Stack highlights that the redesign lets ChatGPT retain Mac context "without screenshots," addressing a privacy pain point in the earlier Chronicle implementation
Why it matters: The pivot from screenshots to keylogging is a direct response to privacy backlash against screenshot-recording AI assistants like Microsoft's Recall — making the feature opt-in signals OpenAI is wary of repeating that controversy, but keylogging of all Mac activity raises its own surveillance questions that the opt-in toggle only partially mitigates.
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