É. Sadin. Artificial Intelligence or the Challenge of the Century. An Anatomy of Radical Antihumanism - Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

French Literature Reviews - 2026

É. Sadin. Artificial Intelligence or the Challenge of the Century. An Anatomy of Radical Antihumanism
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

Artificial Intelligence or the Challenge of the Century (Paperback edition)

An Anatomy of Radical Antihumanism

Éric Sadin

ISBN 9782373090918

304 p.

11 euros

L'échappée (paperback)

OVERVIEW

“Its originality lies in the fact that the argument goes far beyond the well-worn debates surrounding the harvesting of personal data, software opacity, or the ‘great replacement’ of employees by robots. [...] In this well-reasoned indictment, grounded in numerous philosophical references, readers of Jacques Ellul will easily recognize the legacy of that libertarian thinker, whose most famous work, *The Technological Society* (*La Technique ou l’enjeu du siècle*), Sadin reinterprets here.”
Claire Chartier, L’Express

Artificial intelligence is establishing itself as an authority empowered to assess reality more reliably than humans can. Destined to steer the course of human affairs, it threatens to eradicate the foundational legal and political principles upon which our society is built—specifically, the free exercise of human judgment and agency. The growing power of this automated invisible hand constitutes a deeply antihumanist offensive.

Viewing artificial intelligence as the bedrock of a new civilizational model, this book is the final installment of a trilogy that has become a benchmark for understanding the contemporary human condition in the digital age. It follows Algorithmic Life (*La Vie algorithmique*) and *The Silicolonization of the World* (*La Silicolonisation du monde*).

The critique of technology has long been a central concern in French intellectual history, particularly within the tradition of thinkers who examine the autonomy of technical systems. This work engages with the legacy of Jacques Ellul, whose work The Technological Society is reinterpreted here. Readers interested in the history of technological critique or the evolution of digital society may find this analysis of the antihumanist implications of current algorithmic systems relevant.

This volume is the final installment of a trilogy that investigates the contemporary human condition in the digital age, following Algorithmic Life and The Silicolonization of the World. The text examines how artificial intelligence functions as an authority that assesses reality, potentially displacing established legal and political frameworks. By moving beyond discussions regarding data privacy or labor displacement, the author focuses on the shift toward an automated invisible hand, framing this transition as a challenge to the principles that underpin modern social organization.