A bestselling novel was pulled from a French literary prize after AI accusations – what next?
The latest literary AI scandal forces us to question what we expect of writers. Some French authors argue AI is now part of our lives – and authorship is evolving.
The French literary world has been shaken by an AI scandal that began when an anonymous X account claimed Haitian-Canadian author Thélyson Orélien's novel was "almost entirely written by artificial intelligence." The novel, *C'était Ça ou Mourir*, about a Haitian's perilous journey to Canada, had topped the French bestseller list and sold around 35,000 copies.
Orélien, 38, denies using AI, having begun writing the novel in 2017 before generative AI became commercially available. The Goncourt Academy withdrew the book from its shortlist due to credible findings suggesting the book was "largely the product of artificial intelligence." Orélien, who is Black, claims he has been the victim of numerous racist attacks and is compiling evidence to support his claims.
Samuel Fitoussi, a conservative newspaper columnist involved in the allegations, argues the author is defending "the moral pact that binds an author and his readers" and "raising awareness about AI-generated writing." Author AI use remains a controversial topic, with some French authors arguing it's now an integral part of life and that authorship is evolving.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
