Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 42 minutes ago
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.
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More on Carissa: chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/carissa-veliz-2/
Find the book: 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: bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b
0:00 Prediction Everywhere
1:12 Future Isn’t Written
2:27 Resume Filter Trap
3:56 Agency Pushback
10:48 Bank Risk Debate
16:05 Kafkaesque Systems
19:25 Oracle vs AI
20:16 Flood Prediction
28:54 Justice Prediction
41:54 Prediction Markets
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.
---
More on Carissa: chartwellspeakers.com/speaker/carissa-veliz-2/
Find the book: 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: bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b
0:00 Prediction Everywhere
1:12 Future Isn’t Written
2:27 Resume Filter Trap
3:56 Agency Pushback
10:48 Bank Risk Debate
16:05 Kafkaesque Systems
19:25 Oracle vs AI
20:16 Flood Prediction
28:54 Justice Prediction
41:54 Prediction Markets
