Prophecy Prediction Power and the Fight for the Future from Ancient Oracles to AI

Work

by Carissa Véliz · 2026

A philosophical and historical examination of how societies have used oracles, seers, astrologers, statisticians, and algorithms to predict the future. Carissa Véliz argues that predictions can function as exercises of power, shaping people’s choices and obscuring accountability, and considers how to preserve human agency in an age of AI.