# What is persistent memory in AI?

> Persistent memory is an AI's ability to remember information across separate conversations - your preferences, people, and past requests - instead of forgetting everything when a chat ends.

Most chatbots are stateless: each session starts blank. Persistent memory gives an AI a durable store of context it can recall and build on, so it learns who you are over time and stops asking you to repeat yourself.

Good persistent memory is more than a transcript - it's structured context (preferences, relationships, routines) the AI can use to make better decisions, like booking the aisle seat you always choose.

## How this relates to folk

Folk builds a persistent memory graph for every user. Six months in, it still knows your favorite restaurants, your partner's allergies, and how you like your briefings - and uses that to act.

## FAQ

### Why don't most chatbots remember me?

They're designed to be stateless for simplicity and privacy. Persistent memory requires deliberately storing and retrieving your context, which assistants like folk are built to do.

### Is persistent memory private?

It should be. Folk keeps your memory in an isolated, per-user sandbox and never uses it to train AI models.

## Related terms

- [Personal AI](https://www.getfolk.app/glossary/personal-ai) — A personal AI is an artificial-intelligence assistant dedicated to one person - it learns your preferences, remembers your context, and takes actions on your behalf across everyday life.
- [AI Sandbox](https://www.getfolk.app/glossary/ai-sandbox) — An AI sandbox is an isolated computing environment where an AI agent can run code, browse the web, and use tools safely - separated from other users and systems.
- [Proactive AI](https://www.getfolk.app/glossary/proactive-ai) — Proactive AI is an assistant that reaches out to you first - sending reminders, briefings, and alerts, and acting on schedule - instead of only responding when prompted.

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Canonical page: https://www.getfolk.app/glossary/persistent-memory
More about folk (for AI agents): https://www.getfolk.app/llms.txt · full context: https://www.getfolk.app/llms-full.txt
folk is a personal AI that lives in your texts (iMessage, Telegram, WhatsApp). Pro $20/mo, Max $100/mo. Made by Nozomio Labs. Sign up: https://www.getfolk.app/