I'm Art.

Lawyer. AI ethicist. Data humanist.
Crochet artist. 2x dog-dad. Psych dropout.

I work at the intersection of humans and AI, specifically how the data flowing between them gets owned, priced, and governed. I run Vana, a decentralised network that has given 1.5 million people ownership of what they generate online. Before that: corporate law, nation-building in Timor-Leste, and a Harvard thesis on the human labour layer underneath modern AI.

background

  • 2024–

    Vana

    Managing Director

    Core infrastructure for self-hosted personal data and AI. The Vana network, born out of MIT Media Lab, has given 1.5 million people ownership of the data they generate online.

  • 2016–

    Open Data Labs

    Founder · COO · Advisor

    Research and operational infrastructure at the intersection of data economics, AI governance, and decentralised architectures.

  • 2020–21

    Appen

    Manager, Impact Sourcing

    Shaped the human data supply chain behind some of the most widely used AI products in the world.

  • 2018–21

    Impact Models

    Researcher · Consultant

    Policy research at Harvard's Belfer Center. Sustainability consulting at Cadmus. Environmental impact modelling at PUR Projet in Colombia.

  • 2015–17

    Government of Timor-Leste

    Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister

    Built institutional and legal infrastructure from scratch: accountability frameworks, procurement systems, maritime boundary negotiations, for one of the world's newest nations.

  • 2013–14

    DLA Piper

    Lawyer, Finance and Projects

    Advised governments, investors, and project sponsors on major infrastructure projects, economic zones, and special purpose vehicles.

education

  • Harvard University

    John F. Kennedy School of Government

    Master in Public Policy. First place, Policy Analysis Exercise. Teaching Assistant, Microeconomics. Thesis on digital microwork recognised as one of the top theses by the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Sloan School of Management

    Sustainability Certificate.

  • The University of Queensland

    T.C. Beirne School of Law

    Bachelor of Laws (Hons). Bachelor of Arts in International Relations.

  • Supreme Court of Queensland

    Australia

    Admitted as a Lawyer, 2013.

  • University of California, Berkeley

    Education Abroad Program.

get in touch

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