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

Research Report
DRI-RP-2024-04
The Companies Building Your Artificial Memory
A mapping of the infrastructure, incentives, and interfaces shaping how personal memories are captured, stored, searched, and sold back to us.
Read moreEssay
DRI-ES-2024-03
Who Owns the Version of You That Your AI Remembers?
Identity, ownership, and control in the age of persistent digital memory.
Read more