Smarem

Smarem is a term used in speculative fiction to denote a distributed memory augmentation system that merges human cognition with external databases and AI assistants to enhance recall, reasoning, and decision-making. In many works, smarem is depicted as both enabling near-total recall and shaping perception through curated information streams.

Origin and usage vary by author. Some portray smarem as a commercial platform developed by a multinational tech conglomerate, others as a publicly accessible protocol that individuals attach to their nervous systems through neural interfaces or wearable devices. The term itself lacks a single canonical definition outside of fictional contexts.

Concept and components: A smarem system typically comprises data capture modules, semantic indexing engines, retrieval and inference layers, and privacy and consent controls. Data are stored across a distributed network, often with cryptographic safeguards and user-owned keys. Users can toggle layers of memory visibility, and communities may share selective memories to form collective recall.

In fiction, smarem raises themes around memory ownership, surveillance, consent, and social inequality. Storylines often probe who controls cognitive data, how memories can be edited or erased, and how smarem reshapes learning, identity, and trust.

Related concepts include brain–computer interfaces, memory augmentation, and data privacy in ubiquitous computing. Smarem remains a fictional construct, used to explore the implications of cognitive augmentation rather than a currently realized technology.