David Silva Rojas accused of using AI in award-winning novel

Peruvian author David Silva Rojas is facing allegations of using artificial intelligence to write his novella, ‘Donde el agua trabaja’ (Where the Water Works). The work won the inaugural Almadía-Ventosa Arrufat International Short Novel Prize, which carries a 20,000 euro prize and expressly prohibits the use of AI tools.

An investigation by the Spanish newspaper El País reported that the Pangram 4.1 detector classified 99% of the text as AI-generated. Following these findings, the Mexican publishing house Almadía suspended scheduled promotional events in Spain and announced a formal review of the case. While the publisher stated it trusts the author's word, the controversy has sparked debate regarding the reliability of AI detection software and the integrity of literary competitions.

The novella, which explores labor exploitation in the Ica region of Peru, was selected from 2,204 manuscripts by a jury including Cristina Rivera Garza, Selva Almada, and Mónica Ojeda. The prize included distribution across several Spanish-speaking countries, including Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru.