Notes on memory: intro

Welcome to my notes on memory, where I make an effort to understand memory, its effects on our person and our society, and implications for the development of artificial intelligence.

Why write about memory?

I believe that memory will be the next great frontier for artificial intelligence. This is based on a few core hypotheses.

First, that true artificial intelligence is conditioned on a masterful implementation of memory. Without the ability to build true long-term understanding of the mechanisms through which the world works and incorporate those lessons unto itself, AI will never progress past a facsimile of intelligence - able to solve bounded problems, but never able to meaningfully improve itself beyond the existing corpus of knowledge.

Second, that the development of memory for AI is blocked mostly by conceptual and design questions - not technical obstacles. I don’t think we have a comprehensive and coherent vision for what memory in AI is designed to achieve, which means the problem space is much too large. Part of the problem is that the word “memory” is overloaded - people tend to talk past each other without an aligned understanding of what we’re trying to achieve. Without this vision - a definite optimism around memory - existing efforts are doomed to incremental iteration in hopes of a breakthrough.

Third, that developing such a vision for AI memory significantly improves our ability to build the thing. I’ll readily admit that I’m not a technical expert, so I might be underestimating the challenges on that front. I do know that it’s incredibly difficult to build something if you don’t know what you’re building and why. A clear vision for AI memory will introduce constraints and limit the problem space, providing direction and purpose to those who are building at the frontiers.

As I’ve said, I’m by no means an expert (except insofar as I’m a forgetful person). I’m a product manager with a hobby interest in AI - not an academic or professional. I hope that the process of writing these notes will deepen my knowledge of the space. I also hope that my journey will help interested readers - AI researchers in particular - develop a more rounded understanding of a concept which seems simple but has a surprising amount of detail.

I appreciate you taking the time to humor me and my musings. If you’re interested in discussing memory, please feel free to reach out. Enjoy!