Prospective memory – Definition & Meaning

Definition of prospective memory

: an AI agent's ability to retain an intention to do something later and bring it back into use when the relevant time, event, or situation occurs, while handling other tasks in the meantime
- The assistant used prospective memory to raise an unfinished request when the missing document finally arrived.
- Storing the reminder was only half the test: prospective memory also required recognizing the right moment to act on it.

Origin & history

Borrowed from psychology's study of remembering delayed intentions, the concept appears in earlier cognitive-agent research, including a 2011 evaluation of long-term memories in Soar. The October 2026 ProMemAgent paper applies it to proactive assistance using everyday sensory context.

Editorial references

Sources & further reading

2 sources

Preliminary Evaluation of Long-term Memories for Fulfilling Delayed Intentions Research Paper · AAAI Fall Symposium: Advances in Cognitive Systems · 2011
ProMemAgent: Long-Horizon Proactive Assistance with Context-Aware Prospective Memory from Sensory Perceptions Research Preprint · arXiv · 2026-10-19

Test yourself

Which of these is the meaning of prospective memory?

Cite this entry

"Prospective memory." AI Dictionary, Dadgogo, https://dadgogo.com/dictionary/prospective-memory/. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.