Elise Hu

TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective.

This episode was produced and edited by Lucy Little.

The TED Talks Daily team includes Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Green, and Tanzika Sangmarnivong.

Additional support from Emma Taubner and Daniela Balarezo.

I'm Elise Hugh.

I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed.

Thanks for listening.

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.

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 prophets to AI algorithms quietly making decisions about your life right now.

Depends on the kind of AI and how we use it.

Her message?

The next time someone tells you a specific outcome is inevitable.

Remember, they aren't necessarily describing the future.

They might be selling it instead.

That's coming up right after a short break.