The smarter AI programs like ChatGPT and Gemini become, the more we’ll want to use them as the virtual assistants they can be. For that to happen, we’ll need the AIs to access information about us from all sorts of apps and remember details about us. We’ll also need to be able to trust companies like OpenAI and Google with increasingly more personal data.
OpenAI was the first to bring memory features to ChatGPT. It happened with Custom Instructions, a feature I’ve used since it became available. About a year ago, OpenAI also added a Memory feature to ChatGPT that allowed it to remember things about users from chats beyond the scope of Custom Instructions. All of this happens with the user’s knowledge, and memories can be deleted at any time. Also, they don’t train the AI if you set your ChatGPT privacy preferences correctly.
Gemini needed more time to get memory features similar to ChatGPT. Google rolled out the first memory features in November, but they’re available to Gemini Advanced subscribers. ChatGPT Memory features are also available to paying ChatGPT users.
However, Google has now improved Gemini’s memory in a way that OpenAI hasn’t. You can tell Gemini to recall information from your previous chats with the AI on a similar topic, which can be handy for picking up a conversation on the same subject.
“Starting today, Gemini can now recall your past chats to provide more helpful responses,” Google said in a blog on Thursday. “Whether you’re asking a question about something you’ve already discussed, or asking Gemini to summarize a previous conversation, Gemini now uses information from relevant chats to craft a response.”
While I have Custom Instructions enabled in ChatGPT and update them from time to time, I’m not using the memory feature. I don’t fully trust the AI to remember information about me, not that I provide information that might be too personal to hand over to the AI to begin with.
However, Google’s upgrade for Gemini is something I’d want from ChatGPT. The ability for ChatGPT to recall some conversations on a similar topic would certainly come in handy, as it would prevent me from having identical chats. That can happen from time to time.
I will remind you that ChatGPT Search did give ChatGPT a major UI overhaul, allowing users to search for previous chats. This makes it somewhat easier to recall past conversations, but I have to do it manually. Also, ChatGPT supports folders, so I can combine similar chats in the same folder to streamline my interactions with the AI.
Google’s way is better. I’d want to tell the AI to look at past conversations and find relevant information. This isn’t necessarily the same thing as the memory feature. It’s just giving the AI access to my chat data already stored in my account with a twist. I’d be able to manage what data the AI sees.
Google says that’s the case with Gemini:
You’re in control over what information is stored. You can easily review, delete or decide how long to keep your chat history. You can also turn off Gemini Apps Activity altogether by going to My Activity. Gemini may indicate when it uses your past chats in sources and related content.
The new memory feature is rolling out in English and you’ll need a Gemini Advanced subscription via the Google One AI Premium Plan. This subscription also gives you access to Google Cloud storage, which makes it a better deal than ChatGPT Plus.
Google Workspace Business and Enterprise subscribers will also get the feature in the coming weeks.
Perplexity has shattered the AI market’s status quo today by launching Deep Research, a tool that generates comprehensive research reports in minutes and opens advanced AI capabilities to users at a fraction of typical enterprise costs.
“Thankful for open source! We’re going to keep making this faster and cheaper,” Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas wrote in a post on X. “Knowledge should be universally accessible and useful. Not kept behind obscenely expensive subscription plans that benefit the corporates, not in the interests of humanity!”
Perplexity Deep Research is redefining AI pricing — can enterprise AI survive?
The launch exposes a painful truth in AI pricing: Expensive enterprise subscriptions may be unnecessary. While Anthropic and OpenAI charge thousands monthly for their services, Perplexity offers five free queries daily to all users. Pro subscribers pay $20 monthly for 500 daily queries and faster processing — a price point that could force larger AI companies to explain why their services cost up to 100 times more.
Companies have been significantly increasing their AI investments, with enterprise AI spending expected to rise by 5.7% in 2025, despite overall IT budget increases of less than 2%. Some businesses are planning to increase their AI spending by 10% or more, with an average increase of $3.4 million dedicated to AI initiatives. These investments now look questionable as Perplexity delivers similar capabilities at consumer prices.
How Perplexity Deep Research is outperforming Google and OpenAI
Deep Research’s technical achievements suggest expensive AI services may be overpriced rather than superior. The system scored 93.9% accuracy on the SimpleQA benchmark and reached 20.5% on Humanity’s Last Exam, outperforming Google’s Gemini Thinking and other leading models.
“Deep Research on Perplexity completes most tasks in under 3 minutes,” the company announced, highlighting its ability to perform dozens of searches and analyze hundreds of sources simultaneously. The tool combines web search, coding capabilities, and reasoning functions to refine research iteratively — mimicking expert human researchers but at machine speed.
Why Perplexity’s affordable AI is breaking down barriers to advanced technology
The implications stretch beyond pricing. Enterprise AI has created a digital divide between well-funded companies and everyone else. Small businesses, researchers, and professionals who couldn’t afford thousand-dollar subscriptions were effectively locked out of advanced AI capabilities.
Perplexity’s approach changes this calculation. The tool handles complex tasks, from financial analysis and market research to technical documentation and healthcare insights. Users can export findings as PDFs or share them through Perplexity’s platform, potentially replacing expensive research subscriptions and specialized tools.
The company plans to expand Deep Research to iOS, Android, and Mac platforms, which could accelerate adoption among users who previously viewed AI tools as out of reach. This broad access may prove more valuable than any technical breakthrough — finally putting advanced AI capabilities in the hands of users who need them most.
For technical decision-makers, this shift demands attention. Companies paying premium prices for AI services should examine whether those investments deliver value beyond what Perplexity now offers at a fraction of the cost. The answer may reshape how organizations approach AI spending in 2025 and beyond.
While Perplexity’s competitors scramble to justify their premium pricing, thousands of users are already testing Deep Research’s capabilities. Their verdict might matter more than any benchmark: In AI’s new reality, the best technology isn’t the one that costs the most — it’s the one people can actually use.
Deep Research on Perplexity scores 21.1% on Humanity’s Last Exam, outperforming Gemini Thinking, o3-mini, o1, DeepSeek-R1, and other top models.
— Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) February 14, 2025
We also have optimized Deep Research for speed. pic.twitter.com/GPPFg9NbJc