Prediction: Seeing the Future

In the early twentieth century, Evangeline Adams was the most famous fortune teller in America. Kings, actors and even bankers came to her for predictions. Though Adams was an astrologer, she wasn’t the only one predicting the future at the time. Government agencies started making predictions about the weather. As the years went by, science fiction writers and scientists predicted space travel, wind farms, hormone replacement therapy and more. Today, we’re trying to predict the future of buyer behavior, the Earth’s climate and health outcomes. But instead of relying on the stars, researchers use predictive models and deep learning algorithms. From the fate of our planet to what an individual will buy online to what crimes will occur next week, there’s almost no limit to the questions many are trying to answer using artificial intelligence. Hear what’s in the cards for predictions on this episode of Trailblazers. Featuring Jamie Pietruska, Bill Behrens, Eric Siegel, Aaron Andalman, Ben Reis and Ishanu Chattopadhyay.