We are pleased to announce that Professor Joanna J. Bryson, Professor of Ethics and Technology at the Hertie School in Berlin, Germany, has been elected as an Academician of the World Academy of Artificial Consciousness (WAAC), in recognition of her important contributions to AI ethics, technology governance, machine autonomy, AI policy, cognitive science, agent design, robot ethics, AI accountability, the social impact of digital technology, and research on the relationship between natural intelligence and artificial intelligence.
Professor Joanna J. Bryson is a distinguished scholar with international influence in the fields of AI ethics, technology governance, and agent research. She has long been devoted to studying how artificial intelligence systems should be designed, understood, regulated, and embedded within human social institutions. Her work has systematically advanced the development of machine autonomy, AI responsibility, robot ethics, technology policy, AI transparency, agent modeling, human–machine relations, mechanisms of social cooperation, and digital governance. Her research has not only deepened our understanding of the relationships among AI systems, natural intelligence, cognitive mechanisms, social institutions, and technological responsibility, but has also provided important theoretical and policy foundations for addressing key issues such as AI anthropomorphism, machine agency, algorithmic accountability, technology regulation, ethical boundaries, and the social impact of intelligent systems. As Professor of Ethics and Technology at the Hertie School, Professor Bryson has continuously promoted interdisciplinary research across artificial intelligence, cognitive science, social science, ethics, and public policy, and has played an important academic role in AI governance, technological responsibility, and international policy discussions. She previously served on the faculty of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, and has conducted research collaboration or academic exchanges with leading international institutions including Harvard University, the University of Oxford, and Princeton University, making outstanding contributions to the global development of responsible AI, machine autonomy governance, and AI ethics research.
WAAC believes that research on artificial consciousness requires not only advances in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, neuroscience, computational models, and philosophical theory, but also a deeper understanding of how intelligent systems should be understood, designed, constrained, governed, and held responsible within social institutions. Professor Bryson’s work on AI ethics, machine autonomy, agent design, technology governance, robot ethics, and AI policy provides important theoretical resources and methodological support for defining the boundaries of machine agency, assessing the moral status of artificial agents, establishing mechanisms of responsibility attribution, building explainable and accountable systems, developing socially embedded intelligent agents, constructing ethical frameworks for artificial consciousness, and shaping future governance systems for artificial agents. Her research path, spanning artificial intelligence, cognitive science, ethics, public policy, social science, and technology governance, offers important inspiration for connecting the construction of artificial consciousness systems, the boundaries of machine autonomy, and frameworks of human social responsibility.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions to AI ethics, technology governance, machine autonomy, cognitive science, agent design, robot ethics, AI policy, AI accountability, and ethical governance frameworks related to artificial consciousness, the World Academy of Artificial Consciousness has decided to confer upon Professor Joanna J. Bryson the title of Academician of WAAC.
- Global Collaboration and Academic Ecosystem
WAAC Academicians come from world-leading universities, national academy systems, and frontier research institutions, including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, the University of California, Columbia University, Princeton University, the University of Chicago, University College London, the University of Padua, the University of Queensland, the University of Exeter, the French Academy of Sciences, the German National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and the Max Planck Institute. The body of Academicians includes multiple Nobel Prize laureates, Turing Award laureates, members of national academies of sciences and engineering, Fellows of the Royal Society, and Fellows of internationally important academic organizations such as IEEE, AAAI, AAAS, and the British Academy. By bringing together leading scholars in natural consciousness research, machine consciousness modeling, brain science mechanisms, cognitive robotics, deep learning, brain-computer interfaces, and AI governance, WAAC has built an artificial consciousness research ecosystem that combines scientific depth, technological frontier orientation, philosophical insight, and global collaborative capacity, demonstrating its academic foundation and international influence in the emerging field of artificial consciousness science.
- About WAAC
The World Academy for Artificial Consciousness (https://www.waac.ac/) is a global academic institution established in Paris in 2025. Its mission is to advance frontier research and international collaboration in artificial consciousness through the integration of science, technology, and philosophy. The Academy publishes open research, policy recommendations, evaluation standards, and more. The current President is Academician Yucong Duan, and the Secretary-General is Dr. Yingbo Li. The Honorary Academician List: On May 3, 2025, WAAC released its first batch of Top 100 Honorary Academicians, recognizing scholars who have made foundational or leading contributions to the theory of artificial consciousness.