OpenAI’s new feature is just like Windows Recall: Chronicle makes its Codex smarter by remembering your screen — Microsoft tried that, and it blew up in controversy

OpenAI is seemingly copying Microsoft's homework, at least for Windows Recall. The company has deployed a research preview feature dubbed Chronicle in its Codex agent. The memory-centric feature, which periodically grabs screenshots of your screen content to bolster understanding.

As such, the Codex agent can easily identify errors on the screen and the documents you are working on, consequently allowing you to gradually establish a firm grasp over how you work.

This way, it'll be easier for users to interact with Codex as the chronicle feature would have captured enough context, enhancing its user experience by making it more aware without necessarily having to repeat details or being super specific with your prompts.

It's worth noting that Chronicle works by running background agents that create memories based on screenshots it captures, which are temporarily stored on the device. "It uses rate limits quickly," OpenAI warned.

You can check and even edit these memories, but it's worth noting that other apps may have access to these files, too. Admittedly, this raises some privacy and security concerns, but the feature can be disabled from Codex’s menu bar app. Right now, the feature is limited to ChatGPT Pro members on macOS, except in the EU, UK, and Switzerland, which costs $200/month.

Is Codex's Chronicle just another Windows Recall?

Chronicle is essentially a developer‑friendly and lightweight version of Microsoft's controversial Windows Recall in Windows 11, designed to streamline workflows by improving coding efficiency.

But unlike Windows Recall, which focuses on continuously capturing snapshots of a user's activity on Windows 11, Chronicle's scope is fairly limited to developer workflows — making it less controversial in theory, at least so far.

As it happens, a new tool dubbed TotalRecall Reloaded has sparked fresh privacy and security concerns about Windows Recall. However, Microsoft watered down the security researcher's findings, classifying the issue as "not a vulnerability."

It will be interesting to see how Codex's Chronicle feature is adopted in the developer community and whether OpenAI will stay ahead of any privacy and security concerns that may arise.

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