Joscha Bach

Bach was born in Weimar, East Germany, and displayed an early interest in philosophy, artificial intelligence, and cognitive science. He received an MA (computer science) from Humboldt University of Berlin in 2000 and a PhD (cognitive science) from Osnabrück University in 2006,{{Cite web |title=Joscha Bach |url=https://www.edge.org/memberbio/joscha_bach |access-date=2022-11-12 |website=Edge |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=11 August 2020 |title=Exciting progress in Artificial Intelligence – Joscha Bach – Science, Technology & the Future |url=https://www.scifuture.org/exciting-progress-in-artificial-intelligence-joscha-bach/ |access-date=2022-11-12 |language=en-GB}} where he conducted research on emotion modeling and artificial minds. His doctoral work focused on developing micropsi, a cognitive architecture designed to simulate human-like reasoning and decision-making processes.

After completing his Ph.D., Bach focused his AI research in particular on cognitive architectures and the theory of mind. He has held a variety of positions in both academic and industrial research, contributing to AI development from both theoretical and applied perspectives.{{Cite web |title=Joscha Bach: Publications |url=http://bach.ai/publications/ |access-date=2022-11-12}} His work frequently explores the boundaries of AI systems, questioning the limits of current machine learning technologies and addressing how future systems might achieve human-like general intelligence.{{Cite book |last=Bach |first=Joscha |url=http://www.cognitive-ai.com/publications/assets/Draft-MicroPsi-JBach-07-03-30.pdf |title=Principles of Synthetic Intelligence: An Architecture of Motivated Cognition |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0195370676}}

Bach has worked in several prestigious institutions, including Martin Nowak's Harvard Program for Evolutionary Dynamics (PED).{{Cite web |last=Moharana |first=Pabitra |date=2024-09-23 |title=Joscha Bach - AI strategist at Liquid AI |url=https://analyticsindiamag.com/people/joscha-bach/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Analytics India Magazine |language=en-US}} He has also held research positions at the MIT Media Lab{{Cite web |title=MIT Media Lab |url=https://www.media.mit.edu/search/?q=Joscha%20Bach |access-date=2022-11-12 |language=en}} and has served as a vice president of research at AI Foundation, where he has focused on developing AI systems capable of more sophisticated, human-like interactions.{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://aifoundation.com/about/ |access-date=2022-11-12}}

A 2019 article in Science reported that Bach received funding from Jeffrey Epstein after Epstein's first conviction,{{Cite web |title=What kind of researcher did sex offender Jeffrey Epstein like to fund? He told Science before he died |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/what-kind-researcher-did-sex-offender-jeffrey-epstein-fund-he-told-science-he-died |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=www.science.org |language=en}} citing a conference paper that includes a funding acknowledgement.{{Cite journal |last=Bach |first=Joscha |last2=Gallagher |first2=Katherine |date=2018 |editor-last=Iklé |editor-first=Matthew |editor2-last=Franz |editor2-first=Arthur |editor3-last=Rzepka |editor3-first=Rafal |editor4-last=Goertzel |editor4-first=Ben |title=Request Confirmation Networks in MicroPsi 2 |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-97676-1_2 |journal=Artificial General Intelligence |language=en |location=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |pages=12–20 |doi=10.1007/978-3-319-97676-1_2 |isbn=978-3-319-97676-1|url-access=subscription }} In January 2020, a report published by Goodwin Procter following a fact-finding efforts, done on behalf of the MIT, outlined that Bach was hired to the Media Lab in part thanks to Epstein's donations to support Bach, claiming that donations done in November 2013 and in July and September 2014 totaled $300,000 (or 40% of Epstein’s post-conviction donations), corroborating these claims.{{Cite web |date=January 10, 2020 |title=Report concerning Jeffrey Epstein's Interactions with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology |url=https://factfindingjan2020.mit.edu/files/MIT-report.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216110003/https://factfindingjan2020.mit.edu/files/MIT-report.pdf |archive-date=2024-12-16}} In May 2020, Harvard released a report of their own fact-finding efforts, finding that Martin Nowak permitted Bach access to PED offices between 2014-2019, but that "Harvard never paid or received funds to support" Bach's research. The Harvard report also outlines that Bach was listed as a PED research scientist between 2014-2019, noting that two papers published after Bach's departure of MIT acknowledge support from Epstein and PED.{{Cite web |date=May 2020 |title=Report concerning Jeffrey E. Epstein's Connections to Harvard University |url=https://ogc.harvard.edu/files/ogc/files/report_concerning_jeffrey_e._epsteins_connections_to_harvard_university.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201231751/https://ogc.harvard.edu/files/ogc/files/report_concerning_jeffrey_e._epsteins_connections_to_harvard_university.pdf |archive-date=2024-12-01}}

Joscha Bach's research is largely centered on cognitive architectures—computational models that attempt to replicate aspects of human cognition.{{Cite web |last=Bach |first=Joscha |date=March 2007 |title=Cognitive Architectures |url=http://cognitive-ai.com/publications/assets/Draft-MicroPsi-JBach-07-03-30.pdf |access-date=2022-11-12}} His work includes:

In this book, Bach outlines the foundational principles of synthetic cognition, discussing how cognitive architectures could be designed to replicate human thought processes.

A cognitive architecture that models how agents think and act based on perception, emotion, and goal-driven behavior. Bach designed MicroPsi to simulate human-like reasoning and decision-making, contributing to AI systems that can navigate complex, real-world environments.{{Cite journal |author=Bach |first=Joscha |year=2003 |title=Designing Agents with MicroPsi Node Nets |journal=Proceedings of KI 2003 |pages=164–178}}

Bach is well known for his discussions on the nature of consciousness and the computational modeling of subjective experience. He argues that consciousness emerges from an information-processing system capable of creating internal models of itself and the world. He emphasizes the importance of mental models, emotional frameworks, and meta-cognition in the construction of conscious AI.

Bach has been a vocal critic of the current trends in machine learning, particularly the limitations of deep learning in creating truly intelligent systems. He contends that AI systems today lack understanding and operate more like "super-powered pattern recognition machines" than true cognitive agents.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} He advocated in 2020 for a move beyond current AI paradigms to develop machines capable of abstract reasoning, complex decision-making, and internal self-reflection.{{Better source needed|reason=Doesn't prove what is written|date=February 2025}}{{Cite web |title=AI Paradigms |url=https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Zoqp8EDcaGiPkdFKM/online-ssc-meetup-with-guest-speaker-joscha-bach-july-19th |access-date=2022-11-12 |archive-date=10 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710065911/https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Zoqp8EDcaGiPkdFKM/online-ssc-meetup-with-guest-speaker-joscha-bach-july-19th |url-status=dead }}

In addition to his technical research, Bach is engaged with philosophical questions surrounding consciousness and free will. He suggests that consciousness is an emergent property of highly complex information-processing systems that develop internal models of themselves and the world around them. He often debates whether free will truly exists or is merely a byproduct of predictive models constructed by our brains—a question with implications for future AI systems.

Bach's interests extend beyond AI and cognitive science to touch on deeper questions about consciousness, free will, the nature of reality, and the future of humanity in an age of intelligent machines.{{Cite web |title=Philosophical Perspectives on AI |url=https://www.scifuture.org/exciting-progress-in-artificial-intelligence-joscha-bach/ |access-date=2022-11-12}} His work is heavily influenced by philosophical discussions about phenomenology and epistemology.{{Cite journal |author=Bach |first=Joscha |year=2018 |title=The Influence of Philosophy on AI Research |journal=AI & Society |volume=33 |pages=437–445}} He frequently engages in debates on the nature of the self, arguing that what we consider "self" is an illusion—a mental model constructed by the brain for practical purposes.

Bach also envisions a future where AI might possess meta-cognition—the ability to be aware of its own thought processes and to reflect on them. He suggests that while machines might achieve some level of subjective awareness, true consciousness in AI might only emerge when these systems can integrate their own experiences into a continuous narrative, much like humans do.{{Cite web |date=September 4, 2018 |title=The Wizard of Consciousness |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201809/the-wizard-consciousness |access-date=2022-11-12 |website=Psychology Today}}

He asserts that while today's AI systems are powerful, they are far from general intelligence. He frequently discusses the limitations of AI, asserting that current AI lacks understanding or any true conception of the world around it. He has been a prominent critic of overhyping deep learning models, advocating instead for more nuanced approaches that incorporate cognitive models, emotion modeling, and ethical considerations into AI research.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

In addition to his academic work, Bach is a prolific speaker and communicator who regularly shares his insights on cognitive science, AI, and philosophy. He has given numerous talks at conferences, including TEDx, where he has covered topics such as the nature of intelligence, the future of AI, and the possibility of creating conscious machines.{{Better source needed|reason=Dead URL that links to only one TEDx talk, not sufficient to prove that there has been "numerous talks"|date=February 2025}}{{Cite web |title=Joscha Bach Talks |url=https://tedxbeaconstreet.com/speakers/joscha-bach/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621231416/https://tedxbeaconstreet.com/speakers/joscha-bach/ |archive-date=2020-06-21 |access-date=2022-11-12 |website=TEDx Beacon Streat}}

Bach is also an active participant in online discussions about AI and consciousness, appearing in podcasts, interviews, and public lectures.{{Cite web |title=Lex Fridman Podcast #101 - Joscha Bach: Artificial Consciousness and the Nature of Reality |url=https://lexfridman.com/joscha-bach/ |access-date=2022-11-12 |website=lexfridman.com}}

{{reflist}}

{{wikiquote}}

• {{Official website|http://bach.ai/}}
• {{google scholar id|Q_yeuCUAAAAJ}}
• Lex Fridman Podcast #101 - [https://lexfridman.com/joscha-bach/ Joscha Bach: Artificial Consciousness and the Nature of Reality]
• Lex Fridman Podcast #212 – [https://lexfridman.com/joscha-bach-2 Joscha Bach: Nature of Reality, Dreams, and Consciousness]
• Lex Fridman Podcast #392 – [https://lexfridman.com/joscha-bach-3 Joscha Bach: Life, Intelligence, Consciousness, AI & the Future of Humans]
• Musser, George. [https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/201809/the-wizard-consciousness The Wizard of Consciousness] Psychology Today. Published September 4, 2018.
• [https://media.ccc.de/search?p=Joscha Recordings of Bach's lectures] at CCC conferences

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bach, Joscha}}

Category:1973 births

Category:Living people

Category:German computer scientists

Category:German cognitive scientists

Category:German artificial intelligence researchers

Category:Scientists from Weimar

Category:Humboldt University of Berlin alumni

Category:Osnabrück University alumni