Thélyson Orélien denies AI use allegations for award-winning novel

Thélyson Orélien, a Haitian-born author living in Quebec, is facing allegations that his award-winning debut novel, ‘C’était ça ou mourir’, was written using artificial intelligence. The controversy began after an anonymous account on X used the Pangram AI detector to claim that excerpts of the book showed a 100% probability of being machine-generated.

The novel has been a major literary success, selling over 35,000 copies and earning nominations for prestigious French awards, including the Prix Goncourt, Renaudot, and Femina. Orélien and his publisher, Grasset, have firmly denied the accusations, calling them unfounded and describing the situation as a campaign of misinformation. Orélien stated he is preparing documentation to prove the work's authenticity, noting that his writing style is rooted in Haitian and Caribbean traditions.

The debate has sparked broader discussions within the literary community regarding the reliability of AI detection tools and the ethics of automated writing. While some tests yielded high AI scores, others provided contradictory results, leading the president of the Académie Goncourt to urge caution, noting that such digital tests are not irrefutable evidence.