Semantic memory
Semantic memory is long-term memory for meanings, concepts, and general knowledge organized by meaning rather than by specific personal episodes.
AI Agents in Action, Second Edition
Semantic memory is memory retrieved according to the meaning of stored information rather than only its explicit graph relationships or literal terms.
- How it is used
- Deploys semantic memory as long-term agent storage for retrieving facts, concepts, and contextual information by meaning.
- How deep it goes
- Explains encoding, indexing, retrieval, augmentation, backend selection, and hybrid search, while deferring production operations to separate work.
- Examples
- Uses vector-store retrieval, generated retrieval questions, and a ChromaDB-plus-knowledge-graph hybrid agent.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure semantic retrieval and combine it with graph search for richer agent memory, while recognizing ephemeral-demo limitations.
Read how AI Agents in Action, Second Edition explains semantic memory →
AI Agents in Action
Semantic memory is a memory form organized around meanings, including conceptual information and associated feelings or emotions.
- How it is used
- Supports agent recall by storing and retrieving meaning-based facts, concepts, preferences, and other long-term information.
- How deep it goes
- Explains semantic categorization, query extraction, retrieval, and configuration, but does not specify customizable memory prompts.
- Examples
- Uses facts and preferences, semantic memory stores, and comparisons of identical statements represented as different memory types.
- What you can do after
- Operate/configure semantic memory stores and understand how semantic augmentation improves relevant agent recall.
Related concepts
- memorykind of · Memory is a storage resource or mechanism that retains data or computational state for access during computation or later use.
- hybrid memory systemused by · A hybrid memory system combines semantic retrieval with graph-based retrieval and updates to support an agent's memory.
- AI agentpart of · An AI agent is a computational system that uses artificial intelligence to interpret information, select actions, and pursue goals through interaction with an environment.
- vector databaseuses · A vector database is a data-management system that stores and indexes numerical vector representations and supports retrieval through similarity or distance searches.
These guides are generated from the text of Manning books by Manning's knowledge graph and link to the sections they draw on. The full books are available on liveBook and at manning.com.