Anthropic is making its memory feature free for all Claude users, allowing the chatbot to reference past conversations when generating responses. The company first introduced memory capabilities in August 2024, followed by compartmentalization features in the fall. This move comes as Claude climbs to the top of the App Store's free app charts, signaling growing mainstream adoption.

Users can now import conversations from competing chatbots directly into Claude, making the transition between AI assistants seamless. The memory feature offers flexibility—users can pause it to preserve memories for later or delete them entirely from Anthropic's servers. These additions arrive amid a contentious dispute with the US government over AI safeguards and military applications.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently labeled Anthropic a 'supply chain risk' after the company refused to sign a Pentagon contract that would enable mass surveillance and autonomous weapons development. Anthropic has vowed to challenge this designation, setting up a potential legal battle over the ethical boundaries of AI deployment. As the company expands its free offerings to compete with rivals, it must navigate both market pressures and regulatory scrutiny.