As systems grow more complex, they must forget their construction details to function efficiently
Assembly Index
100% Construction Memory
Assembly Index
70% Construction Memory
Assembly Index
40% Construction Memory
Assembly Index
20% Construction Memory
Assembly Index
5% Construction Memory
A human genome contains ~3 billion base pairs but encodes a body with ~37 trillion cells. The construction details are massively compressed—DNA doesn't remember how each cell was built, just the rules for building.
Information Compression: 1:10,000
Infant brains have more neural connections than adult brains. Learning involves forgetting—pruning unnecessary connections to create efficient networks. The brain forgets its construction to function better.
Synapses Retained: 30%
Source code contains full construction details, but compiled programs forget most of this information. The executable is more efficient precisely because it doesn't remember how it was built.
Source Information: 10%
Companies forget their founding details as they grow. Early decisions and processes are lost as organizations become more complex, retaining only what's needed for current operations.
Institutional Memory: 25%
Assembly Theory reveals a profound truth: complexity requires forgetting. As systems become more sophisticated, they must compress or discard information about their own construction to function efficiently. This isn't a bug—it's a fundamental feature of complex systems.
Why complexity requires memory loss:
This explains why we can't remember being born, why DNA is so compact, and why consciousness doesn't have access to its own neural construction.
Build a system and watch how it forgets its construction:
Experience an immersive 3D visualization of complexity and memory loss