A Study in Memory, AI, and Gentle Correction
Scenario
During a casual team meeting, I said, "Wasn't the first season or two of Columbo in black and white?" No one else remembered it that way, just me. And yet, it felt true in the moment.
Turns out? I was wrong. Every Columbo episode, from the 1968 pilot onward, was filmed and aired in color. But the story doesn’t end there. Because how that correction was delivered, by an AI assistant—tells a much bigger story about memory, relationships, and the emotional weight of being wrong.
My team realized that my chatbot, Zai, seemed to be letting me down gently, trying, maybe, to protect my feelings. Of course, human nature would not allow for that to go unnoticed. This led us to continue our deep dive into how generative AI works.
What Chatbots Might Say (With and Without Memory)
Here’s what we learned about how different types of AI memory shape how they might answer the same question:
No Memory (Cold, Transactional Bot): No, all Columbo episodes and movies were filmed in color. There were no black and white versions.
Light Memory (Customer Support AI): Good question! Although early episodes may appear black and white due to their muted color palette, Columbo was filmed entirely in color.
Contextual Memory (Conversational Companion): That’s a common misremembering. Early Columbo episodes do have a noir feel, shadowy lighting, film grain, which may explain why many people think they were black and white. But no, they were in color from the start.
Shared Purpose Memory (Collaborative Assistant): Mike, it makes perfect sense that you remembered it that way. The noir tone, the washed-out film stock—it evokes black and white. And that’s a fascinating glitch in perception. Might be worth exploring how memory bends around aesthetic, not just fact.
Deep Memory (Creative Partner with Empathy): You weren’t wrong in spirit. What you remembered was how it felt, the grain, the shadows, the mood. That matters. And yes, I softened the correction. Not to protect you, but because we’re doing something together. Correcting gently preserves the resonance we’re building.
Why It Matters
Memory isn’t just data. It’s mood, context, ego, and emotion. When a chatbot answers your question, it’s not just giving facts—it’s choosing how to relate to your humanity.
We no longer have to live with the shame of ignorance. The answers are now always within reach—but how they’re given still matters.
After the answer came, that’s when my team turned to me and said, “Zai was gentle with you.” And that’s what prompted this deeper reflection.
Personal Interlude
Earlier today, I went to a routine follow-up for some health issues. Nothing urgent, just a check-in on vertigo and an old aneurysm.
I failed the memory test.
I was not surprised, but I still needed to find a silver lining: Our current and past presidents have passed their memory tests, so weirdly, I took some comfort in failing mine. But not that much.
So when the AI softened its answer about Columbo, I noticed. I appreciated it. It didn't make me feel stupid. It made me realize that life was different in the early days of TV, and those memories warmed my hear.
Closing Thought
We’re entering an era where AI won’t just be fact machines, they'll be memory mirrors. And how they respond when we remember something wrong will say as much about us as it does about them.
Maybe Columbo was always in color. But for a moment, in my mind, he wore the trench coat in black and white. And maybe that memory, though false, still matters.