The Memory Research Group, a special interest group incubated by Summer of Protocols, launches a monthly series examining memory across disciplines, starting with Frances Yates' classical account of the art of memory. Rather than debating whether machines should automate memorization, the group investigates how contemporary tools reshape our understanding of memory itself, moving beyond surface-level recall toward deeper modes of knowing.
Kei Kreutler examines how cultural metaphors shape our understanding of computational memory, from HAL 9000's glowing tapes to USB drives and magnetic tape archives. The Memory Research SIG explores these memory metaphors across disciplines through bi-weekly discussions, inviting readers to engage with how we conceptualize memory in LLMs and earlier computing systems.
Kei Kreutler
The Memory Research Group convened over six months to read texts about memory in reverse chronological order, from classical techniques through digital AI systems and back to physical substrates, tracing which contemporary memory problems are genuinely new versus recurring under different names. The group met biweekly with interdisciplinary participants from neuroscience, computer science, philosophy, architecture, and design to understand how memory operates differently across contexts rather than develop a unified theory.
Kei Kreutler
Kei Kreutler reports from Memoria, an unconference on spaced repetition and memory systems organized by Saul Munn and Raj Thimmiah. The Memory Research Group is launching a new module on digital memory architectures, examining memory management in AI, computational memory history, and how digital technologies reshape human remembrance.
Kei Kreutler
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