Canadian publisher drops Thelyson Orelien, says he used AI to write novel
The publisher of top-selling Haitian-Canadian writer Thelyson Orelien said Wednesday it had confirmed that he used artificial intelligence to help write his novel It Was Either That or Die. Orelien has denied allegations that he used AI on his breakthrough novel and, last week, Canadian publisher Boreal said it was standing by the 38-year-old writer. But on Wednesday, Boreal said it had conducted…
Canadian publisher Boreal announced on Wednesday that it had ended its professional relationship with Haitian-Canadian writer Thelyson Orelien following new evidence confirming that he used artificial intelligence to help write his novel "It Was Either That or Die." Orelien, 38, has denied the allegations, which first emerged last week.
The publisher had previously stood by the writer but conducted a further investigation after receiving new information. The investigation revealed traces of AI tags in the metadata of certain documents related to the novel, which was originally titled "C'etait ca ou mourir." Orelien had claimed he used AI only for research purposes but not to generate any part of the text.
The publisher found it inconclusive when trying to work with Orelien to gather evidence of his innocence. The novel, which had been shortlisted for France's Goncourt book prize, was shrouded in suspicion and removed from consideration after AI detection tests indicated a 100% probability of computer-generated text. Orelien maintained that he began writing the book in 2017 and completed a first draft several years before AI services like ChatGPT were widely available. He had previously admitted to making "unacceptable mistakes" in his writing when he was younger.
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