Total Recall: Data, AI and Our Prosthetic Memory

As we navigate the digital age, our perception of memory is shifting from a biological to a technological framework.

Our lives, marked by a myriad of moments, are increasingly stored on digital platforms rather than our minds, transforming the idea of memory into a notion of “prosthetic memory.” This shift doesn’t just affect how we recall personal details like phone numbers, but it extends to our understanding of the world and our identity. In the face of artificial constructs and the rise of personal data sets, we’re challenged to preserve the authenticity and emotional nuance of our human experience. While this evolution isn’t necessarily marking the “death of memory,” it underlines the need for critical discussions around memory storage ethics, narrative control, and the preservation of our shared humanity in this increasingly digitized memory landscape.

As human beings, we are collectors of memories, a myriad of moments scattered across the canvas of our minds, creating the art piece that is our identity. But in this era of exponential technological evolution, our relationship with memory is changing. With digital technology playing an integral role in our lives, the concept of memory is now often associated with storage space on hard drives and cloud servers rather than cognitive processes.

To a large extent, technology has been a coauthor of history. Just as it has been said that “history is written by the victors,” today it could be argued that “history is written by technology.” Our perception of reality is increasingly shaped by the digital record-keepers — devices and platforms that store, mold, and even sometimes fabricate experiences.

The fading of human memory and the reliance on technology have notable implications. One of the most apparent is the fading necessity to remember specific pieces of information. A common example is phone numbers; most people would struggle to recall their closest friends’ numbers by memory. Instead, these numbers exist as a mere tap away on our smartphone screens. As such, human memory is increasingly being replaced by “prosthetic memory” — the idea that our memories exist outside of us, stored on digital devices.

This evolution isn’t limited to our recollection of phone numbers or addresses. It extends to our understanding of the world around us, our experiences, and our very identities. We see this reflected in the rise of artificial constructs, such as AI-crafted images and even deepfake videos. These artificially constructed realities can distort our perception of the world and ourselves, challenging our sense of authenticity and truth.

The implications of this shift are significant and important. As our memories migrate from our minds to machines, we risk losing a part of our human experience — the joy of reminiscing, the pain of remembering a loss, and the bittersweet nostalgia that past experiences can evoke. These emotional nuances are hard, if not impossible, to replicate in a digital format.

Furthermore, as technology continues to craft our collective history, issues of control and manipulation arise. Who decides which parts of history are remembered and which parts are forgotten? How much of our reality is shaped by the algorithmic biases of our digital platforms? These questions demand thoughtful consideration as we navigate our memory-laden future.

The rise of a personalized data set, or “personal corpus,” is another critical aspect of our evolving relationship with memory. As individuals increasingly interface with digital technology, vast amounts of data are generated — each click, each query, each like or share becomes part of this personal corpus. This data is then leveraged by large language models, such as GPT-4, to create an enriched, multi-dimensional understanding of the individual. From preferences and habits to writing styles and thought patterns, these LLMs effectively build a digital reflection of our cognitive and behavioral identities. As we move towards an increasingly digitized memory landscape, the individual’s personal corpus can play a pivotal role. It serves as both a record of our past and a tool to navigate and shape our future, giving us new ways to understand and interact with our own experiences and identities. It becomes something uniquely ours.

The “death of memory,” as it were, isn’t necessarily a fait accompli. Instead, this transition signifies the evolution of memory from a purely biological process to a complex interplay between human cognition and technological innovation. We must recognize and navigate these changes, engaging in robust debates about the ethics of memory storage, the democratization of historical narratives, and the preservation of our authentic human experiences.

In this journey, we strive to tell stories that reflect our shared humanity, acknowledging the role of technology but not allowing it to eclipse the deeply personal and subjective nature of memory. As we craft the tapestry of human history for future generations, let it be a vibrant mix of human experiences and technological advancements — a testament to our innate ability to remember and our relentless pursuit of innovation.