The Mystery of Human Memory and Its Implications for Artificial Intelligence

Human memory has long been a subject of fascination for scientists and researchers. In this context, a recent study led by Professor Nikolai Brilliantov from the Skoltech Institute of Artificial Intelligence has unveiled intriguing findings about how human memory stores concepts and how these findings could significantly impact the development of robots and artificial intelligence theories.

Understanding the Concept of Engram

An engram is the basic unit of memory, believed to be a scattered group of neurons working together to represent a particular concept. These concepts are described through a set of characteristics that include sensory experiences. For example, the concept of a banana is represented by its appearance, smell, taste, and other sensory properties.

Engrams evolve over time, becoming more pronounced or fading based on the frequency of sensory stimulation from the external world. This process reflects how we learn and forget as we interact with our environment.

The Role of Dimensions in Memory

The study revealed a significant relationship between the number of dimensions used to describe concepts and the memory’s capacity to store them. It was discovered that using seven dimensions achieves the maximum capacity for memory to store concepts. This finding supports the long-standing idea that seven is the optimal number for senses.

This result does not depend on the details of the model used or the nature of the sensory characteristics, suggesting that the number seven is a consistent and enduring property of memory engrams.

Applications of the Study in Artificial Intelligence

The study suggests that these discoveries could have practical applications in the development of robots and artificial intelligence theories. They could help improve artificial memory models to make them closer to human memory, potentially enhancing robots’ understanding of the surrounding world.

Additionally, these findings could contribute to developing new techniques to improve artificial intelligence’s ability to learn and interact with the environment more effectively.

Conclusion

The recent discoveries regarding how human memory stores concepts open new horizons for a deeper understanding of the human brain and the development of artificial intelligence. The results indicate that using seven dimensions represents the optimal number for achieving maximum memory capacity, which could have broad applications in technology and neuroscience. Continuing research in this field may significantly contribute to improving human quality of life and a deeper understanding of human nature.