Short Summary / Teaser
I’d like to suggest a feature to improve ChatGPT’s chat history:
summarize each past message into a short intent-based entry (1–3 lines), with an expandable/collapsible option to view the full text if needed.
This would make navigating long conversations much faster and cleaner, especially for users managing complex or multi-session discussions.
Full Proposal: Enhanced Chat History with Intent-Based Summarization and Expandable Messages
Overview
While several users have proposed improvements to ChatGPT’s chat history management, including summarization and collapsible messages, this proposal introduces a more granular and user-centric approach.
Existing Related Suggestions
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“Collapsible Prompts and Answers” (Feature Request #430882):
A request proposing the ability to collapse individual prompts and responses for better readability. -
“Summarizing Chat History” (Feature Request #672175):
Discussions around summarizing entire chat histories to manage token usage and improve organization.
How This Proposal Differs and Improves
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Intent-Based Summarization:
Summarizes each user input based on its intent, providing a concise 1–3 line summary instead of just truncating the beginning of the text. -
Lightweight Model Summaries:
Model responses are summarized succinctly (e.g., “ChatGPT provided options”) to maintain clarity without overwhelming detail. -
Expandable/Collapsible Messages:
Each summarized message can be expanded or collapsed individually, letting users dive into details only when needed. -
Efficient Resource Usage:
Summaries are generated once and stored permanently to minimize computational cost and optimize app performance. -
User Customization (optional):
Users could edit or refine their own summaries if they wish, for even better organization.
Benefits
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Faster Navigation:
Quickly find important discussions without scrolling through long threads. -
Cleaner Organization:
Keeps chat history lightweight and easier to manage, especially for multi-session or multi-theme discussions. -
Greater User Control:
Optional customization empowers users to shape their own experience of the history.
Conclusion
While there is already community interest in improving chat history, this proposal offers a much more detailed, structured, and user-centered solution that focuses on intent-based summaries, expandable/collapsible messages, and efficient compute management.
Implementing this could greatly enhance usability, especially for users working on projects, learning tasks, or ongoing research with ChatGPT.
Illustration:
