Consultation as one of the ways to address Yuval Hariri’s latest warnings.

Consultation professionals are essentially concerned with process. We are not supposed to be pursuing our own political, social or economic agendas. Our role is to facilitate informed debate, though, over the years, many have argued that improved education, liberal values and the wisdom of crowds have, all other things being equal, produced more progressive outcomes. Without question, one of these involves equality.

By any historical comparison, many kinds of inequality have been addressed. Progress has been made to reduce, if not eliminate discrimination on the grounds of class, race, gender or even age. It has been a long and painstaking process, with so much still to be done. The UK is not exactly a laggard, but neither is it top-of-the-class. As we entered the 21^st century, there was room for optimism that this egalitarian process would continue, or maybe accelerate. Although he is not the first, Yuval Noah Harari (who wrote the best-seller Sapiens a few years ago) has now argued that the reverse may happen!

Reading his book, 21 lessons for the 21st century, it is easy to become concerned. He focuses on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and on Bio-engineering and foresees that their combined effects will be to frustrate the moves towards greater equality. Decision-making by an algorithm is already proving a nightmare in the recruitment industry (by applying rules to analysing candidates’ CVs) and in banking (by ruling upon people’s fitness to be lent money), but we are but at the start of the AI age. To take another example, the emerging use of biometric sensors in our bodies tells the data-owner far more about incipient medical conditions than the patient knows himself/herself. Those with access or funding for this new technology will potentially enjoy immense advantages in securing health care.