Technology might one day help you remember everything—even those things you wish you wouldn’t.
Speaking at the TED Conference on Tuesday, Apple’s artificial intelligence chief Tom Gruber said that in the not-so-distant future, computers will be capable of helping humans remember everything about their lives, including intimate details about the things they have enjoyed and those they have not.
“What if you could have a memory that was as good as computer memory and is about your life? What if you could remember every person you ever met,” Gruber asked during the conference, according to AppleInsider, which earlier reported on his comments. “How to pronounce their name? Their family details? Their favorite sports? The last conversation you had with them?” He continued.
Get Data Sheet, Coins2Day ’s technology newsletter
Gruber, who also co-created the technology that ultimately became the backbone for Apple’s virtual personal assistant Siri, didn’t say exactly when artificial intelligence might form such a close bond with humans, but he did say that it’s “inevitable” that computers will be relied upon to remember everything going on in a person’s life.
Apple, like most other big technology companies, is investing heavily in technologies that will help machines think and behave like humans. Gruber works on the company’s secretive artificial intelligence team developing technologies that could ultimately improve human interaction with iPhones, Macs, Apple Watches, and more. There’s also talk that Apple is considering ways to integrate artificial intelligence into its rumored automotive technology.
While Apple has largely kept its artificial intelligence plans quiet, in January, the company was announced as one of the founding members of a collective called the Partnership on AI, hinting that it wants to play a prominent role in the marketplace. Gruber sits on the organization’s board of directors.
In his TED talk, Gruber suggested that the all-knowing and memory-boosting artificial intelligence could have important real-world implications, according to AppleInsider. He noted that the technology could help those who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia.
Gruber didn’t say, however, exactly when artificial intelligence will advance to that level.
