What Happens When AI Starts to Remember?

The amnesia problem, explained simply

Most regular users know this limitation well. Every time you close a session, large language models forget everything. They rely on a context window, which is essentially a maximum temporary block of text they can process at one time. Once that window fills up or the tab is closed, the model starts completely fresh. For someone who just wants a quick script written or a document summarized, this is fine. For people trying to build a complex workflow over months, it is a massive constraint. Some chatbots have an optional ‘memory’ feature, yet as of now, those are quite often just e separate text file the LLM can access for reference.

Recently, I started looking into how current developers are trying to solve this memory problem, and the solutions are genuinely fascinating.

A surprising entry point: a Resident Evil actress

The story that first caught my attention came from an unexpected place. In early April 2026, the actress Milla Jovovich partnered with developer Ben Sigman to release an open-source tool called MemPalace. Frustrated by losing thousands of AI exchanges, she wanted a system that stored everything and made it retrievable. Their system applies an ancient mnemonic technique called the method of loci to a digital space, organizing stored conversations into a hierarchy of digital Wings, Halls, Rooms, and Drawers. It was a clear signal that the desire for AI memory was moving from niche developer circles to more mainstream users.

Hindsight: memory that works like human memory

From there, I found Hindsight. This tool takes a biomimetic approach, meaning it attempts to model / mimic human memory rather than just acting as a digital filing cabinet. It operates on three distinct levels: retaining information, recalling it, and reflecting on it. That final step is crucial. Hindsight tries to consolidate facts over time to form a broad understanding, much like a person forming a worldview through accumulated experience.

Hermes: an agent that lives on your computer (server)

Alongside Hindsight is Hermes Agent, a persistent system released by Nous Research, which I wanted to explore. Hermes does not just sit in a browser tab. It runs in the background on your own machine, connects to your apps, and actively creates new skills. When it solves a problem, it writes that solution down as a permanent procedure. It is a bit like OpenClaw, yet its own distinct AI beast.

The uncanny valley of tailored AI

Trying Hermes with Hindsight memory is where my perspective began to shift, and where the technology started to feel unsettling.

Because of the way these new memory systems are built, they effectively rewrite parts of their own underlying setup as you interact with them. It is not just an external memory database that expands. In many of these setups, the AI’s “Soul”—a fancy, creepy way of saying its system prompt—dynamically adjusts. As conversations stack up, the AI continuously alters its core instructions, its context, its tone, and its parameters. It builds a model of who you are and how you work.

The result is an experience that feels oddly tailored. I know there is no genuine relational connection happening behind the screen, but this is the first time the mimicry of these systems has triggered a real uncanny valley effect for me. The AI begins to feel entirely too smooth and entirely too accommodating to my specific liking. It anticipates exactly how I want things framed and mirrors my logic flawlessly (depending on the power of the LLMs that drive all processes in the background).

Why this matters beyond the tinkering

This brings me back to how I have always used AI. I am raising these developments not to recommend that everyone go install an agentic memory system, but to highlight a fundamental shift in how we interact with software.

After experimenting with these tools, I have concluded that, for now, I much prefer my tools to remain completely unaligned to my personality. I do not want an interface that slowly morphs to match my quirks. A hammer should not shift its weight or change its grip just because it has gotten used to the way I swing it. As AI moves toward persistent, memory-driven relationships, I think there is immense value in a tool that simply does its job, forgets I was ever there, and waits perfectly unchanged for the next command.

Tools referenced:

Hermes Agent (Nous Research, 2026): https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com

Hindsight (Vectorize.io, 2025): https://hindsight.vectorize.io

MemPalace (Jovovich & Sigman, 2026): https://github.com/MemPalace/mempalace