Language Professions and Artificial Intelligence: Great Replacement or Ethical Complementarity?

Abstract

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in the fields of translation and interpreting has sparked renewed debate about the future of language professions. Does the increasing integration of AI signal the gradual displacement of human expertise, or does it instead point to a reconfiguration of professional roles through new forms of human–machine cooperation? This article addresses this question through a philosophical and technocritical perspective, drawing on the work of Luciano Floridi, Hans Jonas, and other thinkers concerned with responsibility, digital ethics, and the place of the human within technological systems. It argues that the development of AI does not entail the obsolescence of language professionals but rather calls for a renewed understanding of their role, grounded in reflexive, ethical, and creative competencies that remain irreducibly human. The discussion is further informed by the pedagogical experience of the School of Translators and Interpreters of Beirut (ETIB), where technological literacy has been integrated as a central component of the academic project. Through a structured learning pathway, students are trained to understand emerging technologies, critically assess their implications, and engage with them in a reflective manner. In doing so, they are prepared to act as discerning and responsible professionals capable of shaping the digital transformation of language professions rather than merely adapting to it.