What is Memory Encoding?
Memory encoding is the process of converting information from its raw form into a format suitable for storage and later retrieval in agent memory systems. This transformation typically involves multiple steps: extracting relevant content from experiences or observations, representing it in a structured format, generating vector embeddings for semantic search, and potentially extracting metadata like timestamps, importance scores, or associated entities. Effective encoding is crucial for enabling accurate retrieval and meaningful memory utilization.
The encoding process often enriches raw observations with additional information that aids future retrieval and reasoning. This may include generating descriptive summaries, extracting key entities and relationships, assigning importance or salience scores, adding contextual metadata, or creating multiple representations (structured data, text summaries, embeddings) to support different retrieval modes. The goal is to transform experiences into memory representations that preserve essential information while enabling efficient access.
Different types of memories may require different encoding approaches. Episodic memories might encode specific experiences with temporal and contextual details, semantic memories might extract and generalize factual information, and procedural memories might capture action sequences or skills. The encoding strategy significantly impacts what information can be effectively retrieved later and how the agent can use its accumulated memories. Well-designed encoding balances completeness, efficiency, and retrieval utility.