Memories: Generated, Not Retrieved

Speculation: I’m starting to think human memories are generated, not retrieved. Each time we recall something, maybe we’re constructing it on the spot from internal “embeddings,” rather than replaying a stored recording.

Working deeply in building AI with state creates this intuition. And memory as reconstruction is not a new concept in cognitive science (but I’m definitely no expert).

Anyway, if so, it could help explain why therapy like CBT is often effective — it may shift the underlying patterns we draw on when generating memories. We believe we’re revisiting fixed records, but we’re always rebuilding in the moment, and each reconstruction is a chance to reshape how we feel about past events.