Nietzsche’s concept of ressentiment offers a powerful lens for reexamining the classic “weak versus strong” dynamic.

Today, “strength” is not limited to political or economic power. AI models, from credit scoring algorithms to those creating art, now rise like new “masters” over human labor.Facing the very technology they created, humans often feel vulnerable. This triggers the mechanism Nietzsche once called “slave morality.”
Confronted by overwhelming forces, people instinctively try to contain the new masters using moral or emotional arguments.

This is why questions like “Will these machines surpass us?” and, more urgently, “Will AI take my job?” echo across many minds. These concerns are reshaping the emotional and ethical landscape for creative professionals and white-collar workers alike.Differentiating yourself, being original, and becoming a “winner” in the system are increasingly imposed as rigid demands.
As AI moves deeper into traditionally “creative” domains, an undercurrent of panic naturally follows.

In this atmosphere, Nietzsche’s concept of ressentiment becomes an incredibly useful guide for understanding our modern anxieties.

Nietzsche’s Lens: Ressentiment Between Strength and Weakness

For Nietzsche, ressentiment is the core product of slave morality.
The tension between the weak and the strong stands at its heart.The weaker individual, feeling powerless against the strong, lacks the means to resist directly.
Instead, as Nietzsche explains, the weak invent a new moral order by labeling the strong as “evil” and themselves as “good.” In doing so, they suppress their inner anger by declaring themselves morally superior, even though they cannot affirm their own strength.

In On the Genealogy of Morality, Nietzsche defines ressentiment as the feeling of suppressed anger that, unable to strike outward, festers inward.
It becomes a deep psychological condition born from powerlessness, disguised as moral righteousness.

Modern Masters: Algorithms and Black Boxes

Michel Foucault once said, “Power is everywhere.”
Although the Parisian philosopher passed away in 1984 before the digital era, his insights on power help us read today’s world clearly. Today, AI systems largely function as black boxes.
Your credit score might drop overnight, and discovering how or why it happened is nearly impossible. When you ask your bank representative, at best, you receive an educated guess about the algorithm’s behavior.

Appealing against such invisible verdicts is rarely possible.The employee sitting across from you is often just as powerless.This dynamic extends across hiring algorithms, social media feeds, insurance evaluations, and education assessments.
If you are on the right side of these algorithms, things run smoothly. If not, it is natural to accumulate a passive, gnawing ressentiment. Slave morality, in Nietzsche’s sense, becomes the refuge of those who try to justify their powerlessness with moral labels.

The Invasion of Craft and Art by AI

Hegel once said that art was humanity’s way of grasping truth, although in modern times this role largely shifted to philosophy and science. Today, AI’s growing presence in creative fields makes this transformation visible in new ways. From painting to music, literature to cinema, algorithm-generated works are creating a serious sense of threat among human artists.

Art, at its core, expresses sensory accumulation and human experience. AI turns it into a mechanical, conceptual process. It is no surprise that artists feel anxious about the "soul" of art.
Once again, ressentiment surfaces.
Dismissing AI artworks as “soulless” or “mere imitation” often reflects deeper vulnerability.

However, all creative expression builds upon historical accumulation and imitation.
AI is not “taking” art away from us. It may be opening new doors in our relationship with creativity itself. Moving beyond fear could expand the realm of creative freedom.

Escaping Ressentiment: The Übermensch Attitude and Creative Destruction

Nietzsche believed that liberation from ressentiment requires the courage to create your own values. Rather than asking, “How do we stop AI?” or “How do we limit it?”, a better question is, “How do we move forward alongside it?”
This is the spirit of the Übermensch, a new mindset not trapped by old frames.

This does not mean surrendering blindly to a "tech-bro" fantasy.
Regulations must evolve with new realities. Blindly defending old-world structures or endorsing techno-oligarchies without question are both meaningless.
The real challenge is to leave behind outdated language and invent the rules of the new world.

Otherwise, we remain mere players in a game designed by others.

How Do We Feel Stronger?

Seeing AI not as a rival but as a potential partner could empower individuals and communities.
Musicians can use AI to discover new soundscapes. Writers can explore unexpected storylines through AI-powered tools.Painters and photographers can push into new creative dimensions using algorithmic inspirations.

The key lies in blending different verticals and constantly reinventing yourself instead of standing still. This, to me, is how Nietzsche’s “will to power” lives today.
Transcend yourself. Infuse your existence with new meaning. Complaints and moral condemnations will not get us far.

At the same time, ethical and legal frameworks must remain on the agenda. We must question how these systems operate, demand transparency, and ensure accountability.
Artists, journalists, and writers are already organizing platforms to discuss the ethics of AI-generated content and pushing for legal protections.

Final Thought: From Ressentiment to Transformation

Nietzsche’s diagnosis of slave morality helps us better understand the helplessness and fear we feel in front of AI. When threatened, humans tend to minimize or trivialize the threat.
“This technology is soulless anyway” becomes a common escape.

However, the real issue is not the soul of the machine. It is our own feelings of weakness and how we choose to respond.

Instead of stamping machines as “bad” out of destructive ressentiment, it would be far more powerful to rebuild our potential and invite society into a broader intellectual and creative frontier.

Labeling AI only as “imitative” or “dangerous” keeps us trapped in the ressentiment cycle.
Instead, we can channel that energy and become not just followers of the digital age’s pace but shapers of it.

This path will surely bring uncertainties, anxieties, and losses.
But as Nietzsche reminds us, those who can overcome themselves are the ones who create new values. Those who free themselves from ressentiment will have the rare chance to redefine what this age truly means.

In the end, fear of AI can become an opportunity.
It can be an invitation to reconstruct ourselves and the world we live in.

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