My name is Andrew Hogan.
I am a practising barrister with a long-standing interest in technology, history, and the ways in which complex systems shape human behaviour.
I have a deep interest in law and technology and have written an introductory text on artificial intelligence (AI), which I have called Andrew and the Marvellous Analytical Engine.
I wrote Andrew and the Marvellous Analytical Engine out of a growing sense of unease about how artificial intelligence was being discussed in professional circles.
Much of the conversation seemed to oscillate between uncritical enthusiasm and vague apprehension, with very little careful thought in between. Important decisions were being taken on the basis of slogans, demonstrations, and second-hand claims.
This site exists as a companion to the book. It provides a place to develop ideas that could not easily be contained within a single volume, to respond to developments in AI law and regulation as they occur, and to examine tools and books that are genuinely worth attention.
The writing here is deliberately restrained. Where matters are uncertain, that uncertainty is acknowledged. Where speculation is unavoidable, it is identified as such. The aim throughout is clarity rather than certainty, and understanding rather than advocacy.
The site is written primarily for lawyers, regulators, and other professionals, but it is open to any reader who is interested in artificial intelligence and sceptical of easy answers