Switching chatbots without losing what they know about you?

Anyone switching AI chatbots will want to preserve as much as possible of the information that has built up over time. With regular use, the existing system often becomes familiar with users’ working methods, recurring tasks and preferred wording. When moving to another provider, however, this contextual knowledge is not automatically carried over.

Two approaches can make the transition easier:

• Export saved memories: Many chatbots provide an overview in their settings of the information they have stored about users over time. These details can be copied and then used as a basis for setting up the new system.
• Ask the existing chatbot to summarise what it knows: Alternatively, users can ask it to provide as detailed a summary as possible of what it has learned about their working methods, preferences and recurring requirements. The result should then be reviewed and, where necessary, corrected or supplemented.

Switching becomes more complicated when projects, custom GPTs, skills or stored files are involved. These structures usually cannot be transferred directly. Instructions, prompts and documents therefore often need to be saved manually and recreated in the new system.

For professional research in particular, it is also worth retesting tried-and-tested standard prompts after switching. Different models may interpret the same instructions differently, handle sources in different ways, or lack certain functions altogether. As a result, a research workflow that worked reliably in one system may need to be adapted for another.

By Ida KandlerSource: BR, 14 August 2026, by Gregor Schmalzried