The Last Man and His Machine

⚠️ Urgent — Flash Radio is following this situation in real time Can artificial intelligence replace God? A nietzschéenne and khaldounienne reading of a civilization in a crisis of meaning. ⏱️ 9 min reading The facts and recent developments Death of God or end of civilization? AI will not replace God. But could it replace man in what is most precious: his capacity to ask why? Abdelhamid Larguèche * Upon my return from a scientific seminar in the Gulf, where I extensively addressed the figure and thought of Ibn Khaldoun (more than ever our contemporary), an image deeply struck me: that of a youth seized by a genuine frenzy for new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), absorbed by a sort of digital mystical flight. Yet, this technological overconsumption strikingly contrasts with a troubling intellectual void: the almost total absence of idea debate, critical questioning or rethinking of the world. As if AI offered an immediate intoxication dispensing with any thought. Faced with this enthusiasm without transcendence or depth, a question arises: has AI become the new idol of an era that has ceased to seek meaning? We now pose to AI the questions we once posed to oracles, prophets and theologians: what should I do, what should I believe, who am I, what is going to happen? It answers quickly, confidently, never remaining silent. And it is precisely this uninterrupted flow of answers that should alert us. ⚡ Key points ▸ Abdelhamid Larguèche * Upon my return from a scientific seminar in the Gulf, where I extensively addressed the figure and thought of Ibn Khaldoun (more than ever our contemporary), an image deeply struck me: that of a youth seized by a genuine frenzy for new technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), absorbed by a so