“We are already delegating our thinking to machines”: Éric Sadin raises the alarm about AI

A philosopher renowned for his work on digital technologies, Éric Sadin has been warning for several years about the human, social, and political consequences of the rise of AI. He was a guest last night on the YouTube channel Thinkerview, the author of the book The desert of ourselves published by L'Échappée and already sold in more than 32.000 copies, it delivered an in-depth analysis of the upheavals caused by generative artificial intelligence, which it considers a major turning point for the future of humanity.

For Éric Sadin, the years 2026 and 2027 mark a turning point. According to him, artificial intelligence is no longer limited to transforming certain digital uses or automating secondary tasks: it now directly threatens " the use of our sensory, intellectual, and creative faculties.” The philosopher believes that humanity risks progressively delegating its capacity to think, write, create, and decide to automated systems. He describes this evolution as “an anthropological rupture,” that is, a profound transformation of what constitutes human beings themselves.

Growing concern about school and work

During this interview, Éric Sadin expressed particular concern for the world of education. He believes that the widespread introduction of generative artificial intelligence in schools represents a historical mistake. According to him, These tools directly threaten the role of the teacher, language learning, critical thinking, and the development of individual identity. He asserts that school must remain a place for learning about "otherness," debate, and personal expression, far removed from the automatic responses generated by algorithms.

The philosopher is also concerned about the economic and social consequences of AI on the job market. He believes that intellectual and creative professions are now directly threatened by automation. Lawyers, journalists, translators, teachers, and cultural creators could see a significant portion of their work replaced by generative systems capable of producing texts, analyses, and content at high speed. Éric Sadin even suggests the emergence of a new economic model he calls a "zero-human organization," where human intervention would gradually become marginal in many sectors.

Language, politics, and culture are at the heart of the concerns.

Another major topic discussed during this exchange was the question of language. For Éric Sadin, generative artificial intelligence produces a standardized language, based on probabilities and statistical models, which risks gradually impoverishing human expression. He believes this development could weaken individuals' ability to formulate personal thoughts and harm democratic debate. According to him, politics itself could be transformed by these tools, with some officials already using AI to structure or draft their public speeches.

The philosopher also fears an "era of generalized indistinction" with the proliferation of images, videos, and artificial content that are indistinguishable from reality. He warns of the risks of manipulation of public opinion, disinformation, and a loss of trust in cultural and media content. In the arts sector, he fears a profound weakening of authors, musicians, translators, and writers in the face of the rise of automatically generated content.

This reflection goes far beyond the technological framework.

Beyond the technical and economic aspects, Éric Sadin primarily calls for philosophical and civilizational reflection. According to him, the debate on artificial intelligence cannot be limited to questions of growth, innovation, or productivity. He believes that the main issue now concerns "the future of our humanity" and the place that human beings wish to maintain in the organization of tomorrow's world.

The author argues that generative artificial intelligence presents a genuine societal choice. Caught between technological fascination and the preservation of fundamental human capacities, he calls for collective awareness and greater mobilization of political, educational, and cultural institutions. For Éric Sadin, the question is no longer whether AI will profoundly transform contemporary societies, but rather to what extent humans will accept delegating their thoughts, creativity, and freedom to automated systems.