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Visualizing memory states in transformers

PresentationAyse Demir

In transformers, memory is actively retained. Each token is generated by conditioning on prior context, and the model's active state is shaped by what it holds from the past. This talk focuses on making transformers' memory states visible and interpretable. The first part presents a visual vocabulary for retention — attention across layers, attention-entropy landscapes, KV-cache retention fields, and memory-injection overlays — that renders the model's holding of the past perceptible. The second part turns from visualization to applied demonstration. For instrumentation, I use change-point…

Event: Protocol Symposium 2026, Friday, September 25, 2026

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