The Hispanic-Mexican philosopher Carissa Véliz burst into the public debate in 2020 with her book Privacy is Power (Debate), in which she detailed how governments and companies continuously obtain data from us in a surveillance society. Next June she will publish Prophecy (Debate), which the author herself defines as “a reflection on the uses and abuses of prediction, from the Oracle of Delphi to artificial intelligence, because although the technology is very different, the political role it is playing is very similar.”
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Artificial Intelligence
“We get up from the democracy table and leave it to machines in the hands of executives”
What are the lessons from history about predictions that we should learn?
Alongside political leaders there are usually prophets. At first they were oracles or magicians, then they were astrologers, then they became social scientists, then they became economists. Now we are seeing tech executives or computer scientists or data analysts. One of the patterns in history is that predictions are used as tools of power and it is a very powerful tool of power.
Why is it so powerful?
Because they sound like facts, they dress up as science, they dress up as technology, they dress up as neutrality, when in reality they are infused with ideology and create barriers to accountability and responsibility. If I make a decision based on facts, it is easy to challenge that decision. But if I make a decision based on a prediction, since it is not falsifiable because it is not a fact, it is much harder to challenge it.
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Where are predictions born?
They are created in these dark bureaucracies that are very difficult to navigate because there are no rules or criteria, because they are not transparent. And that is very toxic for democracy.
What role does AI play?
A very important role. First, because artificial intelligence is nothing more than a prediction machine. The engine it runs on is a prediction engine. What it does is take historical data and project it into the future. We are getting up from the democracy table and leaving it to these machines that are actually controlled by executives with financial interests.
Is there a social movement of rebellion against that?
If we look at history, for example, the movement against slavery was supported by only 5% to 10% of the population and it changed the world. It is not necessary to be perfect or for the entire population to be in the movement to make an important change.
“Convenience should not be the most important value in life because it is a recipe for much unhappiness”
How to oppose it?
All these tech companies depend on us. We are the raw material. If we stop collaborating or collaborate less or choose another type of product, that has a great effect.
How does stopping the use of certain apps and services influence?
Among other things, when you use the products of the big tech companies you are losing power over your own life because you will depend on those tech companies that are watching you to try to predict your behavior and influence it. The more you limit that power they have over you, the more autonomous you are. But you are also helping to build democracy. There is much satisfaction in knowing that you have more power than those big tech companies want you to think you have and that you can help change and build a better future.
Conveys an optimistic message just at the moment of greatest assault on privacy.
It is when darkness falls that we must resist, stand up to it, and build. There is still much democracy, much rule of law, and positive things. One of the important facts of life to keep in mind is that we are analog beings.
Facing a digital world.
No matter how much digital technology has conquered much of life, in the end we are beings who need water, food, a hug, to see a sunset or walk in nature. It makes us pay attention to what generates us more well-being and that we have to care for and nurture.
When do you recommend disconnecting from digital?
I like the idea of building technology-free spaces, having a very intimate conversation with someone. That there are moments where there are no phones, no microphones, where that conversation is ephemeral.
She proposes a return to the analog that many no longer know.
The most effective way to learn is, on the one hand, on paper and, on the other, with the help of a person who is passionate about the subject and who can convey what it really means as a human being.
What digital habits do you consider most toxic?
Getting hooked on what in English is called doomscrolling , these infinite social media scrolls that are very negative.
What do you propose we do?
Protect ourselves from all things digital. When you are reading a paper book there are no notifications, you are not being watched, there are no distractions. You are polishing and exercising that muscle of attention that you need for anything, not only to concentrate and think and follow a complex argument, but also to enjoy. Being distracted all the time is a recipe for anxiety and loss of the present.
Paper and books, then.
You can only have one life, but if you read, you can live many lives in one. It remains the most sophisticated technology to learn about the world, the past, others with different experiences.
Are there too many people who make a kind of cognitive renunciation, to stop using their brain?
Totally. Reading a book is inconvenient, writing it is very inconvenient, having a family is inconvenient, having friends is inconvenient. They generate tension, but climbing a mountain is inconvenient, riding a bike, exercising, throwing away, everything important in life is inconvenient. Convenience should not be the most important value in life because it is a recipe for much unhappiness.
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