Anthropic’s recent release of a “memory” function for its Claude chatbot is being framed as another move in the AI arms race to increase user stickiness. The feature allows the AI to reference past conversations when prompted, keeping projects and context continuous. While a useful feature, I believe this points to a much more fundamental shift in the AI landscape.
Everything is moving toward the accumulation of user interaction data into isolated, private memory volumes. This isn’t just about convenience; it’s about creating a foundation where knowledge itself becomes private and proprietary.
This trajectory leads to a logical and, in my view, inevitable future: the emergence of AIs where users will need to purchase knowledge modules for specific domains. The idea of a single, all-knowing general AI is less likely than a platform model where specialized, high-value knowledge is a commodity.
Imagine buying and plugging in modules for:
- Advanced financial market analysis
- Expertise in a specific legal field
- Medical diagnostic support
The development of personalized memory in chatbots is a foundational step. It establishes the mechanism for creating these private data silos. The next step will be to monetize not just access to the model, but access to specialized, pre-packaged knowledge that enhances its capabilities. This is the real future of the AI economy.