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Beware the Power of Prediction | Carissa Véliz | TED

What do the story of Oedipus and your insurance premiums have in common? They are both driven by self-fulfilling prophecies. Philosopher and TED Fellow Carissa Véliz traces the hidden power of prediction, from Roman emperors who banned prophets to the AI algorithms quietly making decisions about your life right now. We tend to associate predictions…

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What do the story of Oedipus and your insurance premiums have in common? They are both driven by self-fulfilling prophecies. Philosopher and TED Fellow Carissa Véliz traces the hidden power of prediction, from Roman emperors who banned prophets to the AI algorithms quietly making decisions about your life right now. We tend to associate predictions with knowledge, she says, but they’re actually attempts to grab power. So the next time someone tells you a specific outcome is inevitable, remember: they aren’t describing the future — they’re selling it. (Recorded at TED2026 on April 14, 2026)

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24 Comments

  1. @MoynulIslam-w7b

    April 24, 2026 at 11:02 am

    I am watching from Bangladesh 🇧🇩

    • @rrussellG9a

      April 24, 2026 at 11:04 am

      Nice man, how’s internet connection in your country? Btw how much do u pay monthly?

  2. @jf-jx4ym

    April 24, 2026 at 11:06 am

    Prediction (assumptions) made in position of power over another or with unlawful dishonest or unreasonable manner when conflicts of interest.. sentiment.. belief or possibility…or other benefit is present….is consequential and often a crime. This includes that which cannot be shown true.. like plausible deniability.

  3. @XKLJz

    April 24, 2026 at 11:07 am

    Yes

    • @XKLJz

      April 24, 2026 at 11:07 am

      Ml

  4. @welcome.421

    April 24, 2026 at 11:08 am

    TED | As an ambitious content creator, I appreciate the team’s dedication to supporting outstanding educational and cultural channels.
    بصفتي صانع محتوى طموح، أقدر اهتمام فريق العمل بدعم القنوات التعليمية والثقافية المتميزة.❤

  5. @sajibleadership

    April 24, 2026 at 11:09 am

    I am watching from Bangladesh

  6. @vanshikathakur7760

    April 24, 2026 at 11:11 am

    🎉🎉 ऊं जय श्री बगुलामुखी परमेश्वररी नमो नमः।🎉🎉

  7. @oitubeman1019

    April 24, 2026 at 11:12 am

    I predict with 100% percent certainty that Gojo Satoru will come back in Avatar: Seven Havens

  8. @francesbernard2445

    April 24, 2026 at 11:16 am

    In the past born into royalty close to the throne from the time they were around age 8 were being treated like only pawns when being promised in marriage or when they are being pressured to ask for a hand in marriage far sooner than they want to follow through with that question. PErhaps that was because of more than one covert made predictions amongst parents of underage children back then. It is a mystery who all was successful in breaking that kind of means to put young people born into royalty sometimes into a kind of bondage which only on the surface looks like they have it made. How do two people rescue one another from death in a nation where the life of a man has a price during conscription into the military year after year no matter what is going on international in politics at the time. They cannot because that is too much for them to do on their own.

  9. @gokiburijin8478

    April 24, 2026 at 11:20 am

    Asimov was ahead of the game

  10. @Christine-e7b

    April 24, 2026 at 11:37 am

    So true !!! ❤❤❤❤

  11. @PiotrKaszuba8403

    April 24, 2026 at 11:38 am

    Such a GOOD speach! A lot of things applying to real world and people. And very good delivery. Bravo!

  12. @TomComputer

    April 24, 2026 at 11:38 am

    What a powerful and insightful talk! Great to hear someone raising the ethical questions about our tech and AI future.

    We can do it well, we can ask questions of modern prophecies. Hopeful!!

  13. @sechernbiw

    April 24, 2026 at 12:29 pm

    Don’t walk with a rhythm.

  14. @smokeyJmirror

    April 24, 2026 at 2:33 pm

    Informative talk. I prefer to separate the two concepts. Prediction is an honest, sincere attempt to model future events. What Carissa Veliz is warning of deserves a different label. Manipulation, Grift, Rhetoric; I am open to any or others.

  15. @EarthAngel0000

    April 24, 2026 at 2:44 pm

    “Uncertainty is good news. It means that the future is unwritten… that it is ours to write”
    Absolutely love that.

  16. @FlurpTV

    April 24, 2026 at 3:02 pm

    AI is getting more insecure for human development! Reason: ?

  17. @milesbarn

    April 24, 2026 at 4:45 pm

    Animal Farm

  18. @MOHAMEDTABCAMOHAMED

    April 24, 2026 at 5:19 pm

    Thanks Ted ❤❤❤

  19. @happykillmore349

    April 24, 2026 at 6:43 pm

    “Boats aren’t planes”, and other dumb clickbait titles to downvote

  20. @IAn0nI

    April 24, 2026 at 6:44 pm

    Great talk.

  21. @Laylamarino445

    April 24, 2026 at 6:56 pm

    For a long time I thought confusion was just part of love. I thought the constant anxiety, the overthinking, the feeling of walking on eggshells was something I needed to fix within myself. When I read Hidden Scripts in Love by Lora Kivren, it was uncomfortable at first. Not because it attacked anyone, but because it described situations I had normalized. It gave structure to things I couldn’t explain before. After that, I started seeing my experiences differently. I became quieter, but stronger.

  22. @niccolom

    April 24, 2026 at 9:19 pm

    The T in TED stands for technology.

    Why would a technophobe be talking here against the future of technology?

    Yes, we are lining the pockets of corporations by buying into new technologies, like cellphones.

    But you talk like we got no benefits out of the deals.

    Our lives got better because of new techs, not despite of them.

    There’s no better time to be alive than tomorrow.

    With that said, China is now a country without crime, and that’s definitely not what we want. We want personal freedom, and the price of personal freedom is crime.

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