A Prospective Note for the Jean Jaurès Foundation: "How is artificial intelligence changing our professional identities?" - By French Philosopher Gabrielle Halpern

French philosopher Gabrielle Halpern has published a prospective note on the question of professional identities after exploring this question through a deep research work. Are they challenged by artificial intelligence? In which way?

""Practice makes perfect." This now proverbial phrase echoes the words of the philosopher Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics, when he wrote that "it is by building that one becomes a builder and by playing the zither that one becomes a zitherist; likewise, it is by practicing righteous actions that we become righteous, moderate actions that we become moderate, and courageous actions that we become courageous." In other words, we are what we do, we become what we do, and identity is the fruit of repeated action. This link between identity and action is evident when we see the impact of work on the way we are, speak, and move, both individually and collectively. It was sociologist Bernard Zarka who demonstrated how deeply our professional identities are shaped, whether as a carpenter, a locksmith, or a pastry chef. This is also true of lawyers, advertising executives, psychoanalysts, architects, insurers, and real estate agents, who are all, to a certain extent, part of their own vocabulary, ritualized gestures, a dress code, or even a shared culture. Recent discoveries in cognitive science seem to corroborate this idea, indicating that neural connections and the development of a particular brain area closely depend on our activities; a violinist does not have "the same brain" as a taxi driver. In other words, while clothes don't always make the man, it seems that we have the brains of our profession!", Gabrielle Halpern

"But now the question is: I am what I do, but if I delegate part of what I do to an artificial intelligence tool, am I still the same person, or will I become someone else? Do a lawyer, an architect, a carpenter, or a teacher still have the same professional identity in the age of artificial intelligence? If practice makes perfect, am I still a blacksmith if I delegate part of my work to ChatGPT? Do I still have the brain of a blacksmith? Do I still feel like a blacksmith? By exploring the scientific literature and interviewing numerous professionals from diverse backgrounds as part of a study published by the Jean Jaurès Foundation, answers are gradually emerging. Since artificial intelligence stimulates similar brain regions—linked to error detection and attention regulation—it could lead to a kind of standardization of brains, despite the differences in professions. Moreover, it seems that the strength of professional identity depends closely on the use of artificial intelligence and the relationship established with it—the professional can master and appropriate the tool or allow themselves to be assimilated by it—but also, more subjectively, on the relationship a professional has with their profession or role. The crucial issue now will be knowing what should and should not be delegated to artificial intelligence", Gabrielle Halpern

"The question of professional identities in the face of artificial intelligence is not trivial and could become a political issue with a renewed focus on identity—and therefore also community—needs", Gabrielle Halpern

Read the rest of the note: https://www.jean-jaures.org/publication/les-identites-professionnelles-a-lepreuve-de-lintelligence-artificielle/

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