Quick Answer
AI models understand context within their context window but do not truly remember past conversations.
Detailed Answer
Modern AI models process context through token windows: Claude handles 200K tokens, Gemini up to 2M, and ChatGPT 128K. Within these windows, they track conversation history, references, and nuance effectively. However, they do not learn or remember between sessions unless memory features are enabled. For long projects, Claude's large context window or ChatGPT's memory feature help maintain continuity.
Find Your Own Answer
The best way to decide is to try them yourself. Council lets you compare multiple AI responses to the same question.