Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI
Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI
Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI
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Description
Description
From an award-winning University of Oxford professor comes a brilliant, urgent new look at prophecies--the predictions that determine our lives, from our personal finances and the quality of our healthcare to the news and social media we consume and the products foisted upon us. Today's computer scientists play the same role as the oracles of the ancient world and the astrologers of the Middle Ages. Modern predictions not only advise on war, crop output, and marriages, but algorithms and statisticians also now determine whether we can get a loan, a job, an apartment, or an organ transplant. And when we cede ground to these predictions, we lose control of our own lives. In this powerful, refreshing new look at the many ways prediction shapes our everyday lives, University of Oxford professor Carissa Véliz explains how putting too much stock in others' predictions makes us vulnerable to charlatans, con artists, dubious technology, and self-deception. Examining a wide range of subjects both personal and societal, including medicine, climate, technology, society, and others, Véliz uncovers a number of insights: predictions about humans tend to be self-fulfilling; more data doesn't guarantee better outcomes; AI is more likely to increase risk than decrease it; and a free and robust society requires not more prediction, but better preparation. Véliz argues in this incisive and bracingly original book that the main promise of prediction is not knowledge of the future, but rather power over others. Prophecy is an invitation to defy those orders and live life on our own terms.
About the Author
About the Author
Carissa Véliz is an associate professor at the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford. Her first book, Privacy Is Power (Melville House) was an Economist book of the year and has been published in seven languages. Her academic work has been published in The Harvard Business Review, Nature, AI & Society, and The American Journal of Bioethics, among others. She is the author of the forthcoming The Ethics of Privacy and Surveillance (Oxford University Press) and the editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"A masterpiece. Prophecy exposes the biggest trick powerful people use to get what they want--and they've been pulling it off for the longest time. Big tech's AI predictions are the power plays in disguise of the ancient oracles and medieval astrologers. Delightfully written, refreshingly original, and masterfully argued for, Prophecy lifts the veil on our forecasting practices. Prophecy is the most important book you will read for years."
--Roger McNamee, New York Times bestselling author of Zucked
"Carissa Véliz so cleverly deflates the hype that spouts from the prophets of Silicon Valley--and in the process, offers a sharp new way to examine how people exercise power in our world."
--Karen Hao, New York Times bestselling author of Empire of AI "At a time of inhumanity and indeed anti-humanity, nothing could be more welcome than this performance of the humanities. We will not make it without philosophy, and this is the sort of philosophy we must have."
--Timothy Snyder, New York Times bestselling author of On Tyranny "Some of the best books are those that make you examine that which you take for granted in daily life. Prophecy unravels the many ways prediction has become a mainstay of our existence, and in its own way, a source of power over our lives. A great read that will make you think."
--Tim Wu, author of The Age of Extraction
"This is a book that will make you see the world quite differently--while also eliciting gasps of recognition. Passionate, erudite and punchy, Prophecy will linger long in the memory."
--Tim Harford, author of The Data Detective "Oxford philosopher Carissa Veliz traces the invisible forces that are insidiously manipulating us, stealing our data--and our agency. From the ancient oracles to the algorithms deciding who gets a job, a loan, or even medical care, Prophecy reveals a profound truth: prediction has always been about power. With piercing insight, she exposes artificial intelligence as a "bullshit machine" that fuels a surveillance state, turning probabilistic guesses into self-fulfilling verdicts that threaten our jobs, justice, and liberty. She urges us to fight back, demand better, and embrace the creativity, courage, and uncertainty that makes us truly human. Read this before the algorithms decide you can't!"
--Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and author of How to Stand Up to a Dictator "From oracles and horoscopes to algorithms, from dice to data: how we try to predict the future and the risks of the safety we crave. Carissa Véliz explains it with overpowering intelligence and an ironic humor that strips emperors bare. "
--Irene Vallejo, author of Papyrus
"Véliz exposes the con of Silicon Valley's coup to define the future. This book serves as a stark warning that we must see through the charade of technological prophecy if we are to reclaim our agency in the age of AI."
--Christopher Wylie, Cambridge Analytica whistleblower and author of Mindf*ck "The world runs on predictions, and it always has. Readable and rigorous, Prophecy uncovers how predictions have shaped our lives from ancient Greece to the new oracles of AI, often acting as the avatars of hidden (or not so hidden) power. Written with verve, acuity, and humour, this is essential reading for the times we live in."
--Anil Seth, author of Being You "Captivating . . . Véliz elucidates complex philosophical and technological concepts with ease, while covering a vast range of topics. Lively and erudite, this impresses."
--Publishers Weekly (starred) "A brisk, lively tour of humanity's long fascination with foretelling, arguing that prediction and power have always been intertwined. . . . A sharp, engaging, and often unsettling meditation on humanity's enduring hunger to know--and control--the future."
--Kirkus
--Roger McNamee, New York Times bestselling author of Zucked
"Carissa Véliz so cleverly deflates the hype that spouts from the prophets of Silicon Valley--and in the process, offers a sharp new way to examine how people exercise power in our world."
--Karen Hao, New York Times bestselling author of Empire of AI "At a time of inhumanity and indeed anti-humanity, nothing could be more welcome than this performance of the humanities. We will not make it without philosophy, and this is the sort of philosophy we must have."
--Timothy Snyder, New York Times bestselling author of On Tyranny "Some of the best books are those that make you examine that which you take for granted in daily life. Prophecy unravels the many ways prediction has become a mainstay of our existence, and in its own way, a source of power over our lives. A great read that will make you think."
--Tim Wu, author of The Age of Extraction
"This is a book that will make you see the world quite differently--while also eliciting gasps of recognition. Passionate, erudite and punchy, Prophecy will linger long in the memory."
--Tim Harford, author of The Data Detective "Oxford philosopher Carissa Veliz traces the invisible forces that are insidiously manipulating us, stealing our data--and our agency. From the ancient oracles to the algorithms deciding who gets a job, a loan, or even medical care, Prophecy reveals a profound truth: prediction has always been about power. With piercing insight, she exposes artificial intelligence as a "bullshit machine" that fuels a surveillance state, turning probabilistic guesses into self-fulfilling verdicts that threaten our jobs, justice, and liberty. She urges us to fight back, demand better, and embrace the creativity, courage, and uncertainty that makes us truly human. Read this before the algorithms decide you can't!"
--Maria Ressa, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and author of How to Stand Up to a Dictator "From oracles and horoscopes to algorithms, from dice to data: how we try to predict the future and the risks of the safety we crave. Carissa Véliz explains it with overpowering intelligence and an ironic humor that strips emperors bare. "
--Irene Vallejo, author of Papyrus
"Véliz exposes the con of Silicon Valley's coup to define the future. This book serves as a stark warning that we must see through the charade of technological prophecy if we are to reclaim our agency in the age of AI."
--Christopher Wylie, Cambridge Analytica whistleblower and author of Mindf*ck "The world runs on predictions, and it always has. Readable and rigorous, Prophecy uncovers how predictions have shaped our lives from ancient Greece to the new oracles of AI, often acting as the avatars of hidden (or not so hidden) power. Written with verve, acuity, and humour, this is essential reading for the times we live in."
--Anil Seth, author of Being You "Captivating . . . Véliz elucidates complex philosophical and technological concepts with ease, while covering a vast range of topics. Lively and erudite, this impresses."
--Publishers Weekly (starred) "A brisk, lively tour of humanity's long fascination with foretelling, arguing that prediction and power have always been intertwined. . . . A sharp, engaging, and often unsettling meditation on humanity's enduring hunger to know--and control--the future."
--Kirkus
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Doubleday Books
Pub date:
2026-04-21
Length:
384 pages
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