---
title: "AI memory retention — AI data 2026"
url: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026/ai/data/ai-retain
year: 2026
chapter: "ai"
question: "AIRetain"
section: "AI at work"
licence: "ODbL 1.0 (https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/)"
---

# AI memory retention

54% want personal control of AI memory; only 15% prefer centralized organizational control. Another 14% reject retained memory entirely.

Asked as: When AI tools remember things about your work, who should control that memory? (`AIRetain`, single select, optional, v2026.1)

## Options offered

1. Just me
2. My team
3. My organization centrally
4. I do not want AI to retain memory
5. Not sure

## Results

### All Respondents

n = 12,825

|  | Respondents | Percent |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Just me | 6,877 | 53.6% |
| My organization centrally | 1,891 | 14.7% |
| I do not want AI to retain memory | 1,821 | 14.2% |
| My team | 1,420 | 11.1% |
| Not sure | 816 | 6.4% |

In context: https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2026/ai/data.md