Quebec author accused of using AI admits past plagiarism but maintains novel is his own work
Quebec author Thélyson Orélien has denied allegations that his award-winning novel was written using generative AI. While he admits to using AI for research, he maintains the creative work is his own, despite facing additional plagiarism accusations.
Why it matters
The case highlights the growing tension between traditional authorship and the use of AI tools in the literary world, as well as the reliability of AI detection software.
"It is slander and heresy," he wrote in a statement distributed Tuesday by his Quebec publishing house, Éditions du Boréal.
C'était ça ou mourir , which translates to "It was either that or die," tells the story of a Haitian migrant who leaves his home for Canada, much like Orélien did following the 2010 earthquake.
The novel was lauded by many in the French-language literary world until an anonymous X account ran excerpts through an AI detection tool and publicly shared those screengrabs on Sept. 21 — the same day the novel won the Prix du roman Fnac.
According to the tool Pangram, the novel was "100 per cent" the work of generative AI.
In Tuesday's statement, Orélien says he used AI tools "here and there" for research, particularly when it comes to foreign idioms, but he says the text, structure and plot all come "straight from my gut."
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in