Concept · Revised

Synthetic memory

A machine-maintained representation of past context assembled from stored records, generated summaries, inferences, and retrieval rules.

Why it matters

A working definition, open to revision.

Synthetic memory does not merely preserve the past. It decides what becomes active in the present, often without appearing as a separate archive or editorial act.

Dissenting question

Does a generated recollection remain memory when no person experienced the account it presents?

Related concepts

Key publications