AI has no memory by default, because the whole conversation is fed back in with every message.
- This is called statelessness, and it is how AI is designed to work, not a bug.
- Chat apps hide it by resending the conversation for you.
- Memory features work by feeding your other chats into the new one.
- Understanding this helps you build systems around AI's weaknesses, especially when you use it through the API.
Example: If you open a new chat and Claude has forgotten your project, that is expected, so paste in the key details or use a Project or memory.