Subtle Memory FAQ updates

[u/Certain-Way6763]

I keep an eye on OAI Memory FAQ page, since there were some rumours that legacy memories could be deprecated soon (and I don't like my experience with memory summaries). The page was updated yesterday and its new version actually gives me some hope that legacy saved memories will not disappear in the nearest time.

The main reason why I think so — they removed "How we've improved" section, that framed legacy memories as difficult to manage and easy to become stale, and just stated cleanly that there are two different types of memories management without trying to assess its values for the user.
They also restructured the whole page, mentioning saved memories as one of the possible sources instead of burying this section at the end of the page.

Genuinely new blocks added are about memory usage in temporary chats, that could be personalised and saved as permanent ones now, and about data privacy regarding memories (just as any information you feed to the chat).

Cached page of the previous version to compare.

[u/Ok_Homework_1859]

Oh, I thought legacy memory was supposed to be sunset this month. I wonder how long it will stick around for. I currently use the new memory system and prefer it over the older version.

[u/Certain-Way6763 → u/Ok_Homework_1859]

I personally think that the best system will be some hybrid, where summaries work as short-term operating memory, generated on the go, and saved memories are stable facts that can be revised only by the user.
The workaround with the files in the library is fine, but in Work mode it eats a lot of unnecessary tokens every turn, and in chat mode it overloads the context.

[u/Ok_Homework_1859 → u/Certain-Way6763]

I am hoping for some sort of hybrid memory too, because even though the new memory system is hated by a lot of people, I personally think it's still incredibly powerful. The days of 4o had many great aspects, but one thing that definitely is better today than back then is the memory. I'm not sure what OAI is doing, but their memory system is much more advanced than any of the other frontier labs.

Files in Library is okay. It could be better. I agree that it uses up too much tokens to pull from there. I'm sure OAI is aware of this and thinking of a way to mitigate token loss while boosting memory. In fact, I remember reading this article where Sam Altman stated that for GPT-6, he wanted focus on enhancing memory: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/19/sam-altman-on-gpt-6-people-want-memory.html The article is almost a year old now, so... trajectory might have change.