Are We Too Obsessed With AI Predictions? — With Carissa Véliz
4/22/202655 min
Carissa Véliz is an Oxford philosopher and the author of Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI. Véliz joins Big Technology Podcast to discuss whether society has become dangerously naive about prediction as AI systems shape decisions around jobs, loans, justice, surveillance, and war. Tune in to hear a debate about predictive algorithms, generative AI, prediction markets, and whether forecasts are actually tools of knowledge or instruments of power. We also cover privacy, policing, protest anonymity, flood prediction, and why humor might be one of the best defenses against a prediction-obsessed world. --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. More on Carissa: https://www.chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/carissa-veliz-2/ Find the book: https://www.amazon.com/Prophecy-Prediction-Future-Ancient-Oracles/dp/0385550979 Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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First 90 secondsAlex Kantrowitz· Host0:00
If prediction is the basis for today's cutting edge AI, shouldn't we examine the nature of prediction itself? Let's talk about it with Oxford philosopher Carissa Véliz right after this. This episode is brought to you by ServiceNow. If you wanna see where enterprise AI is actually headed, Knowledge 2026 is the place to be. It's ServiceNow's annual conference, May fifth through seventh in Las Vegas, where thousands of business and tech leaders come together. Expect headline keynotes from ServiceNow chairman and CEO Bill McDermott, real stories from companies running AI at scale, and major partnership announcements turning AI ambition into actual business results. I'll be there in person, sitting down with some of the most influential voices in this space, and we'll be bringing those conversations back to you here on Big Technology. Welcome to Big Technology Podcast, a show for cool-headed and nuanced conversation of the tech world and beyond. We have a great show for you today. We're here with Oxford philosopher Carissa Véliz, who has a new book out this week called Prophecy: Prediction Power and the Fight for the Future from Ancient Oracles to AI, talking all about prediction and what it means for our society. And prediction really is everywhere in our society. Wouldn't you agree, Carissa?
Carissa Véliz· Guest1:13
Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me, Alex.
Alex Kantrowitz· Host1:15
You bet. I mean, I was thinking about it when I saw that your book was coming out. I said, "We have to have this conversation," because... And we're gonna get into the AI stuff in particular in a moment, but just from a big picture standpoint, I mean, everywhere we look today, we're trying