The Goncourt literary prize organizers announced on Friday the removal of a novel by Haitian-Canadian author Thelyson Orelien from their longlist, following allegations that he used artificial intelligence in its writing. Orelien has denied these claims regarding his book "C'etait Ca ou Mourir" ("It Was Either That or Die"), as the situation has sparked a broader discussion on race, literary merit, and originality within the French literary community.
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The allegations surfaced this week from a less-known X account named "Balance ton Claude". Essayist Samuel Fitoussi later identified himself as one of the individuals managing the account. Additionally, reports have emerged suggesting that Orelien may have committed plagiarism in past works; according to La Presse, a 2012 short story by Orelien allegedly borrowed from a book by French author Louis Pauwels, and a 2013 opinion piece used material from The Philippine Star newspaper.
Orelien has not yet addressed these plagiarism accusations and did not provide a comment on the matter when requested on Friday. The Paris-based Academie Goncourt remarked that it made its decision to remove the novel to uphold the integrity of the Goncourt Prize and its mission to celebrate literature by both women and men. The Academie expressed hope that its action would underline its opposition to texts generated with AI assistance, stating it would refrain from further comments until October 6, when the shortlist will be revealed.
Orelien's debut novel, which follows the journey of a Haitian migrant through Latin America to Canada, has previously received multiple literary awards and was set for translation into various languages. Initially, his French and Canadian publishers supported him against the AI allegations but did not respond to inquiries for comment on Friday. The account "Balance ton Claude" claimed that AI detection tool Pangram indicated the novel was largely composed by artificial intelligence, although some experts have questioned the reliability of such detection methods.