Almadía suspends book presentations over suspected AI use

Almadía David Silva Rojas artificial intelligence literary prize Pangram detector

The Mexican publishing house Almadía and the Ventosa-Arrufat Foundation have suspended all promotional activities for the novel ‘Donde el agua trabaja’ following allegations of generative artificial intelligence use. The book, written by Peruvian author David Silva Rojas, was the winner of the first Almadía-Ventosa Arrufat International Short Novel Prize, which carries a 20,000 euro award.

The controversy arose after an investigation by the Spanish newspaper El País utilized the Pangram detector, which attributed 99% of the text to AI. The investigation also noted high AI probability scores in the author’s interview responses and related texts. The prize regulations explicitly prohibited the use of AI in the writing process, stating that any breach would result in automatic disqualification.

Almadía issued a statement noting that while the author personally affirmed and contracted that no AI was used, the company will conduct a “detailed review” to address the situation with seriousness. The publisher emphasized that neither the jury nor the editorial team suspected AI use during the initial reading process, and they cautioned against the absolute authority of digital detectors, which can produce false positives.

Entities

Almadía · David Silva Rojas · EL PAÍS · Pangram · Ventosa-Arrufat Foundation

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[○ 1 SOURCE] Almadía will conduct a detailed review of the novel. udgtv.com
[● 3 SOURCES] The author signed a contract stating he did not use AI tools. tiempodigital.mx · udgtv.com · www.excelsior.com.mx
[● 3 SOURCES] The editorial team and jury did not detect AI use during the initial review. tiempodigital.mx · udgtv.com · www.excelsior.com.mx
[● 3 SOURCES] Almadía suspended all promotional activities for the novel “Donde el agua trabaja”. tiempodigital.mx · udgtv.com · www.excelsior.com.mx
[● 3 SOURCES] David Silva Rojas won the first Almadía-Ventosa Arrufat International Short Novel Prize. tiempodigital.mx · udgtv.com · www.excelsior.com.mx
[● 3 SOURCES] The prize rules expressly prohibited the use of generative AI in the writing of works. tiempodigital.mx · udgtv.com · www.excelsior.com.mx
[● 3 SOURCES] The Pangram detector identified 99% of the novel as being generated by AI. tiempodigital.mx · udgtv.com · www.excelsior.com.mx
[○ 1 SOURCE] The winner of the prize was awarded 20,000 euros. udgtv.com