Carissa Véliz

Yes, because they're based on predictions, but that's not facts.

And we should anchor democracy more closely to facts.

So in 1971, there was this world championship and it was the first time that two champions were fighting each other for the heavyweight championship.

And both of them were previously undefeated.

And in the press conference, Muhammad Ali boasted that he made a prediction that he was going to win, that it would be no contest.

And of course, Joe Frazier realized that this wasn't the man making numbers in his head.

He was intimidating his opponent.

And he got really riled up and ended up defeating the previously undefeated great Ali in the fight of the century.

So we should do like Joe Frazier.

And when we listen to a prediction about the social world that is against our interest, instead of taking it as a fact and accepting it, we should take it as an invitation for defiance.

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.

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.

Well?

Let me tell you about the future.

Predictions are the boxing ring where fights over the future take place.