Many users are turning to ChatGPT for their most sensitive questions, from mental health to physical ailments. That intimacy is precisely why users may want to keep those chats private.
On Wednesday, OpenAI launched a feature that finally makes that possible: Locked Chats in ChatGPT. This feature enables users to move chats outside of their regular chat history into a separate "protected" space which needs to be unlocked with a pin on ChatGPT's browser version. On supported devices, users can also Face ID, Touch ID or device unlock instead of a pin. The feature is rolling out to Free, Go, Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans.
The new messages sent in locked chats won't be used to update the memory used in your regular chats, meaning that future conversations won't reference that information. This minimizes the risk of accidentally revealing private information in other answers that someone may be looking over your shoulder or using your account. In OpenAI's example, a user hides a chat regarding a proposal they are planning, presumably to not ruin the surprise.
While it may seem like password protecting a device is enough, it is common for people in relationships to know one another's passcodes. A Pew Research survey found that 75% of Americans who are married, cohabiting or in a committed relationship report sharing their phone passcodes with their spouse or partner. It is the same reason that similar "hiding" features exist for camera rolls, messages, and social media apps.
Prior to this, the only feature that accomplished a similar purpose was the Temporary Chat feature. When using this feature, information you share is also not kept in your history or saved to your memory. However, the biggest downside is that you can't revisit the thread of conversation and, because ChatGPT doesn't remember it, every time you want to reference that information, you have to reprompt it.
Our Deeper View
Typically, when talking about AI features and privacy, people's major concerns are regarding whether the AI lab can reference your chats, use them for training, or worse. However, as AI use becomes more pervasive, easy to use and accessible across everyday devices, people are trusting these models with increasingly private information. However, just like you may not want your partner sitting in on an embarrassing doctor's visit,, you may also not want them to have access to certain conversations, whether those conversations be deeply personal or benign, such as planning a surprise. The added choice of selecting your own boundaries seems like an extremely helpful feature that I personally am excited for.