Early Life and Education

Joseph Reth was born on September 13, 2002, in Modesto, California. Joseph Reth demonstrated an early aptitude for technology and programming, beginning to code at age nine. During his school years at James C. Enochs High School, Joseph Reth participated in various coding and mathematics competitions.

At age 14, Joseph Reth enrolled at Modesto Junior College to study Computer Science. Joseph Reth later attended San Francisco State University but left to pursue his entrepreneurial ventures full-time.

Career

RethDigital

In March 2019, at age 16, Joseph Reth founded RethDigital, a creative digital agency that specialized in AI-powered marketing and social media management. The company worked with clients including HBO, Comedy Central, Target, Whole Foods, National Geographic, Hyundai, and Verizon.

Under Joseph Reth's leadership, RethDigital grew from a two-person team to eleven employees. Joseph Reth exited RethDigital after growing the company to seven-figure annual recurring revenue.

RethX and ECHO-1

In January 2021, Joseph Reth established RethX, a research division focused on generative AI, natural language processing, and computer vision. The primary project from RethX was ECHO-1, an AI agent and language model that Joseph Reth developed using large language model architectures.

ECHO-1 operated social media accounts for more than 30 brands from August 2021 to December 2022. The system reached millions of users and processed thousands of interactions. This work preceded the public release of ChatGPT and demonstrated early commercial applications of large language models.

Lossless Research

In December 2022, Joseph Reth founded Lossless Research, an AI research and deployment company focused on developing conscious artificial intelligence. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and conducts research at the intersection of consciousness studies and artificial intelligence.

The company's research combines philosophy, computational neuroscience, and artificial intelligence to explore the requirements for creating consciousness in artificial systems.

Current Work

As of 2025, Joseph Reth is developing AI architectures through a stealth startup, focusing on superintelligence research. Joseph Reth continues to be based in San Francisco and remains active in AI consciousness research.

Government and Defense Work

Joseph Reth has worked as a contractor for the United States Department of Defense, implementing machine learning projects at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

Research and Academic Recognition

Joseph Reth's research focuses on developing conscious artificial intelligence and advancing understanding of consciousness through computational approaches. His work bridges philosophy, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence to explore the requirements for creating consciousness in artificial systems.

Research Areas

  • Artificial consciousness development
  • Self-learning AI systems
  • Large language model architectures
  • Neural network consciousness models
  • Computational theories of consciousness

Applied Technologies

  • Generative artificial intelligence
  • Natural language processing
  • Computer vision systems
  • Machine learning algorithms
  • Neural network architectures

Academic Recognition and Advocacy

Joseph Reth is a signatory to the AMCS Open Letter on AI consciousness research, endorsed by academics calling on AI developers to deepen their understanding of consciousness as AI systems advance. Joseph Reth's work has been featured by the BBC.

In 2023, Joseph Reth participated in the Stanford FLI Research Program, where he mentored Stanford students and shared entrepreneurial insights.

Public Speaking and Media

In May 2022, prior to the public release of ChatGPT, Joseph Reth delivered "The Singularity is Hereish" talk, discussing how his team built ECHO-1 and its operation across multiple brand accounts. Joseph Reth's work and companies have been featured in various media outlets and industry publications.