Anthropic upgrades Claude's memory to attract AI switchers

"These upgrades could allow users who have been using rivals like OpenAI's ChatGPT or Google's Gemini to quickly copy the data their preferred AI has collected on them and bring it over to Anthropic's chatbot. That way, they don't have to "start over" teaching Claude the context and history their previous chatbot already knows."

"The option to import and export memories from Claude has been available since October, when Anthropic also rolled out the option for users to turn on Claude's memory. Up until now, the memory feature was only available to users on paid Claude subscriptions, but now all Claude users can turn it on by going into "settings" then "capabilities.""

"Anthropic is introducing the upgraded memory importing tool as Claude is seeing a rise in popularity, driven by tools like Claude Code and Claude Cowork. Last month, Anthropic launched its new Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6 models, which the company says are better at coding and completing complex tasks like working through a spreadsheet or filling out forms."

Anthropic has expanded Claude's memory feature to free users and introduced a dedicated import tool for transferring data from rival chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini. Previously available only to paid subscribers since October, the memory feature now appears in settings under capabilities. The new importing tool uses a pre-written prompt that users copy into their previous AI, then transfer the output back into Claude. These updates coincide with Claude's rising popularity driven by specialized tools like Claude Code and Claude Cowork, as well as new Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6 models optimized for coding and complex tasks. Anthropic has also gained attention for refusing Pentagon requests to weaken AI safety guardrails.

Read at The Verge