While I understand the assertion, you are mixing apples and oranges.
I see a vast difference in how information is coded in the two systems (brain and computer) that makes this comparison somewhat meaningless.
In a computer there is some logical separation between the information represented and the storage location. Much of computer program function turns on the organization of the information and getting the right information to the logical processing unit.
If the brain the location of the information is hard coded. The steams of information follow stereotyped paths and and learning is embedded in these pathways. We also learn relations of these data with “side paths” (association fibers and association maps) as we learn the primary qualiia.
To the point that we seem to be limited to unitary states combining or recalling collections of qualia - these maps that hold relations have the same properties as the maps that hold qualiia - the combined action of qualia and the relations between them are a single unitary state of cooperation that form the “content of consciousness.”
Thinking of this unitary state, the subcortical structures may find some aspect of the current content of consciousness as meeting some current need state and add attention to it, adding activation from the frontal lobe. This may involve more than one map getting this attention; for example, apple and approach, Once these two maps (spatial relations and object stores) the other connected maps settle into the lowest energy configuration forming a new content of consciousness. This new combined qualia is processed through to the temporal lobe for the sub-cortical structures to experience and a new loop of consciousness starts.
In humans this activation from the frontal lobe is more precises and we have a much larger frontal lobe than most critters so our searches tend to be better and more focused.
I agree that we learn based on what we have learned before - we have an extremely efficient delta coding system. We attempt to recall our internal representation to match our perceived external reality. The bits that are novel attract attention and it is the novel bits we add to our internal representation - delta coding.
As we we learn more about something the information forms pools of learning at various positions in the perceptual hierarchy and association maps. This novelty at whatever position in the hierarchy or association maps automatically puts the learning the the best location to hold it. As we learn more about something what is novel may shift to new locations in the brain.
I have been posting on this basic system for a long time and there are some related posts that flesh out some of these concepts. Much of it is collected on this thread:
The key post is this one:
Search the forum for “loop of consciousness” to see many of my related posts on this topic.
Oh, and on that perception thing, this post posits the fundamental unit of perception.
I propose that a single thalamocortical resonance cycle in the cortex is the smallest quanta of human perception.
I propose that a single thalamocortical resonance cycle in the episodic portions of the cortex (those connected to the hippocampus) is the smallest quanta of human experience.