Top French literary prize drops novel over AI allegations

PARIS

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Organizers of France’s top literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, have removed a best-selling debut novel by Canadian-Haitian writer Thelyson Orelien from its longlist following online allegations that it was written with artificial intelligence.

The Goncourt Academy said on Sept. 25 the decision was made to preserve the integrity of the prize and the academy, whose role is to promote and honor literature written by humans.

Orelien, 38, has denied using AI to write his novel, “It Was Either That or Die,” and said the campaign against him was racially motivated and an attempt to silence his voice. He has also promised to produce a file that will prove he wrote the book himself.

The academy said “several credible researchers and journalists” had concluded that the novel was “in all likelihood very largely” produced by AI. However, AI use has not been conclusively established, with different detection tools producing different results.

The controversy has also been compounded by evidence of alleged plagiarism in Orelien’s earlier work. Montreal-based La Presse reported Wednesday that a newspaper column he wrote in 2013 was almost entirely a lightly edited translation of an article published several days earlier by The Philippine Star.

Radio-Canada also found that an Orelien novella that won an audience prize in 2010 contained phrases taken from “Le matin des magiciens,” a French-language book by Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier published in 1960.

“It Was Either That or Die” is a fictionalized account inspired by Orelien’s life. It follows a protagonist who leaves gang-ridden Haiti and undertakes an arduous journey through several countries before arriving in Canada.
The novel has been sold in more than 20 countries, including the United States. Paris-based publisher Grasset reportedly paid 300,000 euros for its French rights.

The controversy has highlighted the growing challenge of distinguishing AI-generated writing from human work and the disruption AI is causing in creative industries.

“This case is unprecedented in France, but it’s certainly not the last,” Alexandre Gefen, a researcher at France’s CNRS and co-author of a recent book on AI in the cultural sector, told AFP.

Orelien’s Canadian publisher Boreal suspended his promotional tour Friday but said it continued to stand by his work. Grasset also expressed its “absolute trust” and admiration for the author’s writing.