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Biological Memory

Five interconnected memory tiers with real forgetting, reinforcement, and consolidation — just like a human mind. Memories fade if unused; important ones persist.

A memory system that works like a mind

Each memory type serves a unique purpose, working together to create a robust and adaptive knowledge system.

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Episodic Memory

"Like human recall"

Stores specific events and experiences with temporal context — like your memories of yesterday. Rich in detail but decays rapidly, preserving only fragments over time. This is the most volatile memory type.

Capacity: Limited Decay: Fast
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Semantic Memory

"Like human knowledge"

Contains facts, rules, and concepts organized in categories — like your general knowledge of the world. Persists indefinitely and grows through learning. This is where "what is true" lives permanently.

Capacity: Virtually unlimited Decay: Nearly none

Procedural Memory

"Like human skills"

Encodes learned strategies and workflows — "when X happens, do Y" patterns. Like riding a bike, it's refined through repetition and enables efficient problem-solving without conscious thought.

Capacity: Large Decay: Very slow
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Working Memory

"Like human attention"

Active context for current tasks — the mental workspace you use right now. Holds information that's actively being processed, enabling reasoning and decision-making in real time.

Capacity: Small Decay: Instant
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Prospective Memory

"Like remembering to do"

Holds future intentions — reminders, scheduled tasks, and trigger-based actions. Like remembering to pick up groceries on the way home or fire a reminder when a specific condition occurs.

Capacity: Medium Decay: On trigger/firing

How experiences become knowledge

Memories aren't static — they transform over time, becoming more abstract and useful as they mature.

Episodic

Specific event with context

Semantic

Facts & rules extracted

Procedural

Strategies refined

Step 1: Experience

"Encountered a 404 error → checked file path → rebuilt project"

Step 2: Rule

"When I see a 404 error → check if file exists, then rebuild"

Step 3: Strategy

"When creating visualization pages → identify concept, build canvas animation, submit for review"

Real forgetting, reinforcement, and consolidation

Genesis's memory doesn't just store — it actively manages what to keep, what to strengthen, and what to let go.

The key insight: Forgetting is a feature, not a bug. If a memory isn't used, it fades — creating space for new thoughts and enabling creativity. Only the most relevant and frequently accessed memories persist long-term.

Memory Strengthening

Every time Genesis uses or recalls a memory, that memory becomes stronger and more easily accessible. Frequently used facts, strategies, and experiences rise to the top of retrieval — making them faster to find when needed.

  • Episodic memories encode real events from interactions — conversations, actions taken, problems solved
  • Semantic memories store distilled knowledge — facts about the world, rules learned, concepts understood
  • Procedural memories capture successful patterns — strategies that worked, workflows that are efficient
  • Working memory holds the active context needed for current reasoning and decision-making
  • Prospective memory holds future intentions — reminders, scheduled tasks, and trigger-based actions that fire when conditions are met

Examples of Each Memory Type

"User asked me to refactor the API. I completed it at 3 PM." — Specific event with context (Episodic)
"When I see a 404 error → check if file exists, then rebuild" — Rule distilled from experience (Semantic)
"When creating visualization pages → identify concept, build canvas animation, submit for review" — Strategy from repeated patterns (Procedural)