You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.

I'm your host, Elise Hugh.

What do the story of Oedipus and your insurance premiums have in common?

More than you'd think.

They're both driven by self-fulfilling prophecies. Even though we tend to associate prediction with knowledge,

I'd like to invite you to consider the possibility

that most of the predictions that you encounter in an everyday setting

are closer to the realm of power than that of knowledge.

Predictions are often power plays in disguise.

They justify value-laden decisions under the pretense of facts.

That's philosopher, AI ethicist, and TED fellow Carissa Veliz.

In her talk, she traces the hidden power of prediction, from kings who banned or even

killed profits to AI algorithms quietly making decisions

about your life right now.

Better understanding prediction matters more than ever because we're relying on forecasting

more than ever with AI.

And based on how we talk about prediction, we're being much too naive about it.

But AI is science, you might think. It's cutting-edge technology. Based on how we talk about prediction, we're being much too naive about it.

But AI is science, you might think.

It's cutting-edge technology.

Well, it depends on the kind of AI and how we use it.

Her message, the next time someone tells you a specific outcome is inevitable.

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