Thélyson Orélien faces literary scandal over AI authorship allegations

Author Thélyson Orélien is facing a major literary scandal following allegations that his debut novel, ‘C’était ça ou mourir’, was written using artificial intelligence. Despite significant commercial success with 65,000 copies sold and initial critical acclaim, the controversy has led to Orélien being removed from the Goncourt Prize shortlist and the suspension of his promotional tour.

Patrick Delperdange, head of Onlit noir editions, noted that while the book contains repetitive stylistic elements, it is difficult to definitively prove AI involvement. Delperdange, who utilizes AI tools for marketing and administrative tasks, expressed that current technology makes it challenging for editors to detect if an author has used text generators to rework a manuscript. This incident follows previous accusations of plagiarism against Orélien.