Predictions are powerplays in disguise, obfuscating accountability. Not only do modern predictions made by the companies advise on war, industry and marriages, but artificial intelligence also now determines 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. Drawing on history’s cautionary tales and modern-day tech companies’ malfeasance- from surveillance and biased algorithms to a startling lack of accountability – Carissa Véliz demonstrates that big tech’s prophecies are just as shallow, dangerous and unjust as their ancient counterparts’. Véliz uncovers in the process is chilling, as Artificial Intelligence is increasing risk in business and society while creating a false sense of security in this incisive, witty original book. According to Véliz the main promise of prediction is not knowledge of the future but domination over others. Powerful people use predictions to determine our future. Prophecy is an invitation to defy those orders and live life on our own terms.

Thousands of years, oracles, seers and medieval astrologers advised leaders and commoners alike about the future, which in modern day, tech empires have taken over. They are not in it for the common good- they’re in it for power. Award-winning University of Oxford professor Carissa Véliz argues why we must reclaim that power, and shows us how. The predictions are often power plays in disguise, obfuscating accountability and stripping individuals of their agency.

Prophecy: Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI by Carissa Véliz,  £30/ $35, Swift Press/Doubleday, 384 pages.