Prophecy

Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI

By: Carissa Véliz

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

“Lively. . . . Rousing. . . . Prophecy—roving, intelligent, irreducibly idiosyncratic—can expand our sense of possibility, starting now.” —The New York Times Book Review

Tech empires are the prophets of the modern day, and like the ancient oracles and medieval astrologers that preceded them, they're not in it for the common good—they're in it for power. Award-winning University of Oxford professor Carissa Véliz brilliantly argues why we must reclaim that power, and shows us how.

“A masterpiece. . . . The most important book you will read for years.” —Roger McNamee, New York Times bestselling author of Zucked

For thousands of years, oracles, seers, and astrologers advised leaders and commoners alike about the future. But predictions are often power plays in disguise, obfuscating accountability and stripping individuals of their agency. Today we face the same threat of powerful prophets but under a new facade: tech.

Not only do modern predictions made by tech 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’. What she uncovers in the process is chilling. Artificial intelligence is increasing risk in business and society while creating a false sense of security. In this incisive, witty, and bracingly original book, Véliz contends that 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.

Refusing the tyranny of prediction

Power is having the ability to motivate someone to think or do something that they wouldn’t otherwise. Hence, I am using my power to write this review.

Carissa Véliz’s book is a love letter to our hopes, anxieties, and sense of awe about a future we can never control, and yet insist on trying to. She weaves together ancient prophecies, the rise of statistics and eugenics, and contemporary predictive analysis into a compelling book that I simply devoured.

There is real bravery in this writing, which faces power with the knowledge that prediction is never merely descriptive; it is a speech act, a force that helps summon the world it claims only to foresee. In that sense, this book too is a speech act: an invitation to resist, reimagine, and reclaim the future.

I have read many books that parallel this one: on technology and culture, AI ethics, behavioral science, predictive processing, neuroscience and consciousness, futures studies, and political imagination and activism. This one shoots to the top of my recommendation list. Its contribution to the field is immense. And yet, indeed, there is much more work to be done.

Beyond the scope and strength of the arguments, I was delighted by the tone and playfulness of the writing. Reading it felt like taking off your shoes, hugging a pillow, sinking into the sofa, and diving into a generous, expansive conversation in Professor Véliz’s cozy Oxford office.

I don’t often write reviews, but a prophecy led me to this book—and, if I may profess, may it lead you there too.

A book that is both powerful and delightful

Prophecy is that rare book - deeply learned and researched, personally charming, and tackling the nature of narrative power in the world with the moral seriousness that it deserves. Very well-read in the audiobook too. Get it and enjoy.

Timely and important - highly recommended

Carissa Véliz's Prophecy is many things - at its core a very important exploration of how prediction relates to power, even/especially when it seems ilke it's innocently helping us know what's true about the future. This has been true in history when prophecy was based on tea leaves and entrails, and is still true when prediction relies on artificial intelligence - and when the "smart money" tells us that AI will be inevitable.

Véliz helps unpack prophecy's cunning invisibility, but also helps us reground ourselves in our collective humanity. I found it to be tremedously hopeful and humane and practical. Highly recommend reading and sharing with others.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Most Important Book I’ve Listened to in Years

Prophecy by Carissa Véliz is one of those rare books that changes the lens through which you see the world, and once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
The argument is deceptively simple: prediction has never been about truth. It’s been about power. From the oracles of ancient Greece to the AI models now deciding who gets a job, a loan, or a kidney, the game has always been the same. What’s new is the scale.
Véliz, an Oxford philosopher and one of the sharpest minds in AI ethics, doesn’t just diagnose the problem. She dissects it, tracing how machine learning algorithms turn probabilistic guesses into self-fulfilling verdicts, how more data doesn’t mean better outcomes, and why the rise of predictive AI is fundamentally a threat to democracy itself.
The writing is precise, urgent, and at times darkly funny. She calls AI what it often is: a tool for automating bias at scale. That’s a bold claim and she earns it on every page.
As an audiobook, the pacing is superb. Véliz writes the way a great professor lectures: building each idea carefully before landing the point with force.
If you care about your autonomy, your privacy, or just understanding the world you’re actually living in, this is essential listening.
One of the most important books of 2026. Full stop.

Insightful perspectives

This is one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date books on the impact of prediction and technology on society. It thoughtfully explores how we deal with uncertainty and risk, showing that predictions are often more closely tied to power than to a mere pursuit of truth. Drawing on both historical and modern examples, it’s well written, engaging, and highly entertaining.