On April 6, Milla Jovovich, well-known for her roles in Resident Evil and The Fifth Element, announced an intriguing collaboration with crypto entrepreneur Ben Sigman, the CEO of a Bitcoin lending marketplace known as Libre. Together, they are working on a project titled MemPalace, described as an open-source “AI memory system.” Sigman has made bold statements regarding MemPalace’s performance, claiming it achieved a “perfect score” on key benchmarks, outpacing all other products currently available, whether free or paid.
What has caught the public’s attention is Jovovich’s reported involvement as one of the primary architects and coders of MemPalace. She mentioned that her interest in this project was sparked by challenges she faced while programming for a larger gaming initiative, which led her to partner with Sigman. However, skepticism surrounding their partnership has arisen, particularly among those who suspect that Sigman may be leveraging Jovovich’s celebrity status to promote his project, dubbing it “AI-slop.”
Sigman’s assertions about MemPalace include that it achieved “100% recall on LongMemEval,” a benchmark designed to evaluate the long-term memory capabilities of chatbots. Typically, large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Claude have limitations regarding memory retention, often requiring users to recontextualize prior discussions. According to Sigman, MemPalace has circumvented these memory issues entirely.
Yet, independent testing of MemPalace’s code on GitHub has led to significant criticism of Sigman’s claims. Some users have reported that when tested with the MABench model, the system correctly answered inquiries only 17% of the time. Other critics noted that the reported effectiveness depends more on a default model’s performance rather than an actual understanding conveyed through the MemPalace’s structure. For example, one user pointed out that the retrieval mechanism involved was underwhelming against established benchmarks, which have a clear average performance level—making it questionable whether MemPalace delivers on its promises.
Furthermore, questions have surfaced about Jovovich’s level of involvement in the coding process. Suspicions arose when a now-deleted user, initially credited with significant contributions, was discovered to have their name lingering in the project’s GitHub records. Critics are questioning the integrity of the coding credit, noting the absence of a clear author history and the deletion of the original account shortly after the project’s launch, creating a cloud of doubt over its origins.
While Sigman and Jovovich have touted their friendship—exemplified by Jovovich’s past promotion of his cryptocurrency book—the broader implications of their partnership remain unclear. The MemPalace project operates under an open-source model, which raises further inquiries about the potential for monetary gain given that they have a 50-percent creator reward split for a cryptocurrency tied to the project. Concerns intensified as this cryptocurrency appeared to experience significant volatility shortly after the announcement, with claims of manipulation from invested parties.
Given the complexities entangled in this partnership and the nature of their claims, inquiries have been made to both Jovovich and Sigman to clarify their roles in MemPalace and whether there is any connection to the associated cryptocurrency. As the skepticism continues to mount, the tech community watches closely to see if MemPalace can withstand scrutiny or if it will fade like many other ambitious yet faltering projects in the realm of crypto and AI.
