Memory in the Age of AI Agents

AK's Picks Agent Agent Memory Multi-agent Collaboration
记忆已成为基于基础模型的智能体的一项核心能力,并将持续保持其关键地位。随着智能体记忆领域的研究迅速扩展并受到前所未有的关注,该领域也日益呈现出碎片化趋势。目前归属于“智能体记忆”范畴的各类研究工作,在研究动机、实现方式和评估方法上往往存在显著差异,而大量模糊定义的记忆相关术语进一步加剧了概念上的混乱。传统的分类方式(如长时/短时记忆)已难以充分涵盖当前智能体记忆系统的多样性。本文旨在全面梳理和呈现当前智能体记忆研究的整体图景。我们首先明确界定智能体记忆的研究范畴,并将其与大语言模型记忆、检索增强生成(RAG)以及上下文工程等相关概念区分开来。随后,我们从形态、功能和动态三个统一视角对智能体记忆展开系统分析。在形态层面,我们识别出三类主流的智能体记忆实现形式:基于词元的内存、参数化内存和潜在空间内存。在功能层面,我们提出一个更精细的分类体系,将记忆划分为事实性记忆、经验性记忆和工作记忆。在动态层面,我们深入探讨记忆如何随时间形成、演化和被检索。为支持实际开发,我们汇总整理了现有的记忆评测基准和开源框架。在总结现有成果的基础上,我们进一步展望了若干前沿研究方向,包括记忆自动化、与强化学习的融合、多模态记忆、多智能体记忆以及可信性问题等。我们希望本综述不仅能为现有研究提供参考,更能为未来构建以记忆为核心要素的智能体系统设计奠定概念基础。
Memory has emerged, and will continue to remain, a core capability of foundation model-based agents. As research on agent memory rapidly expands and attracts unprecedented attention, the field has also become increasingly fragmented. Existing works that fall under the umbrella of agent memory often differ substantially in their motivations, implementations, and evaluation protocols, while the proliferation of loosely defined memory terminologies has further obscured conceptual clarity. Traditional taxonomies such as long/short-term memory have proven insufficient to capture the diversity of contemporary agent memory systems. This work aims to provide an up-to-date landscape of current agent memory research. We begin by clearly delineating the scope of agent memory and distinguishing it from related concepts such as LLM memory, retrieval augmented generation (RAG), and context engineering. We then examine agent memory through the unified lenses of forms, functions, and dynamics. From the perspective of forms, we identify three dominant realizations of agent memory, namely token-level, parametric, and latent memory. From the perspective of functions, we propose a finer-grained taxonomy that distinguishes factual, experiential, and working memory. From the perspective of dynamics, we analyze how memory is formed, evolved, and retrieved over time. To support practical development, we compile a comprehensive summary of memory benchmarks and open-source frameworks. Beyond consolidation, we articulate a forward-looking perspective on emerging research frontiers, including memory automation, reinforcement learning integration, multimodal memory, multi-agent memory, and trustworthiness issues. We hope this survey serves not only as a reference for existing work, but also as a conceptual foundation for rethinking memory as a first-class primitive in the design of future agentic intelligence.
许愿