Joscha Bach

Also known as Plinz

Joscha Bach is a German cognitive scientist and AI researcher who designs cognitive architectures and studies machine consciousness. Born in Weimar in 1973, he studied computer science in Berlin, developed the MicroPsi cognitive architecture for his Osnabrück PhD and set out its ideas in the 2009 book Principles of Synthetic Intelligence. From 2014 he worked at the MIT Media Lab and Harvard's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, later serving as VP of Research at the AI Foundation, principal AI engineer at Intel and AI strategist at Liquid AI, and the University of Oulu named him an honorary doctor in 2024. An MIT report found that Jeffrey Epstein's donations largely paid for his Media Lab post, and emails released in November 2025 showed that in 2016 he had questioned the intellectual development of Black children and women's interest in math and science. He is founding director of the California Institute for Machine Consciousness, which launched in May 2025 to formulate testable theories of machine consciousness.

Now at: California Institute for Machine Consciousness
Born: 1973
Badges: Founder
Bridge
Wayfarer

Years link to their sources.

Timeline

1973–2000

Computer science in Berlin

He is born in Weimar, East Germany, in 1973. He studies computer science and philosophy in Berlin and New Zealand and earns an MA in computer science from Humboldt University of Berlin in 2000.
By 2009

The MicroPsi cognitive architecture

For his PhD at the Institute of Cognitive Science in Osnabrück, he develops MicroPsi, a cognitive architecture designed to simulate human-like reasoning and decision-making. Oxford University Press publishes his book Principles of Synthetic Intelligence, based on the dissertation, in 2009. He also teaches computer science, AI and cognitive science at Humboldt University and Osnabrück, and founds IT companies.
2014–2019

MIT Media Lab and Harvard

He works at the MIT Media Lab from April 2014 to October 2016, and in 2015 he is developing a cognitive AI framework there and at Harvard's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, which lists him as a research scientist until 2019. An MIT report released in 2020 finds that the lab hired him in large part because Jeffrey Epstein subsidized the cost.
2020–2023

AI Foundation and Intel Labs

By June 2020, when he discusses artificial consciousness on the Lex Fridman Podcast, he is VP of Research at the AI Foundation. From 2021 to January 2023, he works as a principal AI engineer in Intel's Cognitive Computing group.
2023–2024

Liquid AI and an Oulu doctorate

By December 2023, he is an AI researcher at Liquid AI, and by April 2024 he serves as the company's AI strategist. The University of Oulu names him an honorary doctor of its Faculty of Medicine for its conferment ceremony in May 2024.
2025

Founding a machine consciousness institute

He is the founding director of the California Institute for Machine Consciousness, which launches in May 2025 with a mission to formulate testable theories of machine consciousness. He presents the institute's vision at its launch, and Jim Rutt joins as chairman of the board.
November 2025

The Epstein emails

In November 2025, the US House Oversight Committee makes public emails to Jeffrey Epstein from 2016 in which he questions the intellectual development of Black children and women's interest in math and science. He tells The Boston Globe that his views have since changed. In a Substack essay in November 2025, he writes that Epstein funded part of his work at the MIT Media Lab and Harvard's Program for Evolutionary Dynamics from 2013 to 2017.
As of October 2026

Machine consciousness research at CIMC

At Future Day 2026, he presents The Machine Consciousness Hypothesis, an essay he coauthors. In September 2026, he gives a keynote on what it would mean for a machine to be conscious at CIMC's Computational Consciousness salon in Berlin. He leads research at the institute in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Career

Since 2025California Institute for Machine ConsciousnessFounding Director, Research Lead
2023–2024Liquid AIAI researcher, AI strategist
2021–2023IntelPrincipal AI Engineer
From 2020AI FoundationVP of Research
2015–2019Harvard UniversityResearch Scientist
2014–2016Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Humboldt-Universität zu BerlinTeacher
University of OsnabrückTeacher