Joanna Bryson
Also known as Joanna J. Bryson, Joanna Joy Bryson
Joanna Bryson is a professor of ethics and technology at the Hertie School in Berlin, a post she has held since 2020. She graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in behavioural science in 1986, then studied AI at Edinburgh before completing an MIT doctorate in 2001. Her early work included industrial AI research for LEGO in the 1990s, and from 2002 to 2019 she sat on the computer science faculty at the University of Bath, where she founded its AI research group. In 2010 she helped the EPSRC define the Principles of Robotics, and in 2017 she co-authored a paper analyzing human biases in billions of online sentences. She also won an outstanding achievement award from Cognition X in 2017 for her work on AI ethics.
Timeline
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1986
A behavioural science degree
She graduates from the University of Chicago in 1986 with a degree in behavioural science (non-clinical psychology).
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1995–1998
AI research for LEGO
She works on industrial AI research for LEGO in 1995 and again in 1998.
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2001
An MIT doctorate in AI
She completes an MIT doctorate in 2001, after an MSc in artificial intelligence at Edinburgh.
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2002–2019
Founding Bath's AI research group
The University of Bath employs her on its computer science faculty from 2002 to 2019, and she founds its AI research group.
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2010
Principles of Robotics
In 2010 she helps the EPSRC define the Principles of Robotics.
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2017
An AI ethics award
In 2017 she wins an outstanding achievement award from Cognition X for her work on AI ethics. She also co-authors a paper with Aylin Caliskan and Arvind Narayanan that analyzes human biases in billions of online sentences.
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2020
Founding professor at Hertie
She joins the Hertie School in Berlin as professor of ethics and technology in 2020, one of the founding professors of its Centre for Digital Governance.
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2025
Professor at Hertie School
She holds the professorship of ethics and technology at the Hertie School in Berlin. In 2025 she receives an honorary doctorate from Université de Louvain for contributions to transparency and accountability in AI and robotics.
Sources and credits
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