An award-winning debut novel has become the centre of an AI controversy in France after its author was accused of relying on artificial intelligence to produce much of the book.
Haitian-Canadian writer Thélyson Orélien, 38, recently took home the Prix du Roman Fnac for his first novel, C’était ça ou mourir, or It Was Either That or Die.
The celebration was short-lived, however, after an X account accused the author of using AI to write the novel.
The account, Balance ton Claude, said it examined passages taken from different sections of the book with Pangram, an AI-detection service.
It claimed the software returned a 100 per cent AI-generated result across the passages tested.
The group also described Pangram as one of the most reliable tools available for identifying AI-generated writing. However, the claims have not established that the novel was actually produced by AI, and the reliability of such detection systems remains a subject of debate.
Orélien has rejected the accusation outright.
In comments to French newspaper Libération, reported by the BBC, he said he had always been passionate about literature and had no reason to turn to a machine to create his work.
The writer said he was working with his French and Canadian publishers to compile evidence showing that he personally wrote the novel.
He also defended the distinctive style of the book, pointing to his Haitian and Caribbean heritage.
According to Orélien, the novel’s imagery, repetition and rhythm are rooted in his cultural traditions and his own voice.
His publisher, Grasset, has also stood behind him. The publishing house described the allegation as seriously harmful to the author and defended the originality and strength of his writing.
The dispute comes as Orélien’s literary profile continues to rise.
His debut is not only the winner of the Prix du Roman Fnac but has also made the shortlist of finalists for the Goncourt and Renaudot prizes, two of France’s best-known literary awards.
The novel tells the story of a teacher forced to flee gang violence in Haiti before eventually settling in Canada. There, the character begins to experience a life free from the constant fear that shaped his earlier existence.
Orélien was born in Gonaïves in 1988 and relocated to Montreal in 2010. He later worked as a journalist in Canada.
He has also challenged the timeline behind the accusation, saying he wrote the first draft of the novel in 2019.
That claim has added another layer to the controversy, while the dispute has renewed debate over whether AI-detection software can reliably determine how a work of literature was created.
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