The Turgot Prize was awarded in 2021 to Aurélie Jean for her book Les algorithmes font-ils la loi ? (Do Algorithms Make the Law?).
In his book Je ne suis pas un algorithme (I Am Not an Algorithm), Nicolas Hazard offers a fresh perspective, providing what he sees as a clear-eyed diagnosis of our times and, above all, an invitation to take action. We live in a world of dependence and alienation, in which we believe we are exercising our freedom when in fact we are merely responding to the prompts and solicitations of a system that is beyond our control.
In the age of social media, where the individual takes centre stage, where growth drives our economic system, and where technology occupies a dominant position, we retreat into what reassures us most and act in pursuit of immediate results, while remaining deeply dissatisfied and having lost sight of the meaning of our lives in favour of an endless pursuit of “more.”
Fortunately, we are much more than algorithms make us believe. Technology is merely a set of tools. It is up to us to decide what place we want to give it and to set appropriate limits.
We therefore need to regain control of our lives and our minds. The freedom to make our own choices is often only an illusion, because there is frequently an algorithm influencing us. Our true freedom does not lie in being able to do everything we desire, but in learning to exercise self-restraint and select the options that will make us happy in the long term.
This book is a wake-up call—a call to stop submitting to a digital diktat—so that everyone can reconnect with their own uniqueness, take responsibility for their choices, and regain control over what makes us profoundly human.
Nicolas Hazard offers several practical recommendations: take a mini digital detox and spend some time away from your phone; stop using social media for 48 hours; write for fifteen minutes about a value that defines you; read an article, watch a video or listen to a podcast presenting an opposing viewpoint and reformulate its ideas with empathy; keep a “meaning journal” and record an activity or encounter that seemed meaningful to you; carry out one concrete altruistic act every day, as this can increase your self-esteem; and devote at least one hour a week to a project or cause that is important to you.
In short, let us take action to reclaim the meaning of our lives.
Nicolas Hazard, a graduate of Sciences Po and HEC, is an entrepreneur and essayist. He is also a Special Adviser to the European Commission on social innovation and the founder of INCO, a group that develops responsible investment solutions, supports entrepreneurs, and trains young people for the jobs of the future.
Book review written by Michel Gabet