Quebec Author Rejects AI Claims and Stands by Work
Quebec author Thélyson Orélien, accused of using artificial intelligence for his award-winning novel, has denied the allegations while admitting to plagiarism in past columns.
Quebec-based author Thélyson Orélien has rejected claims that his award-winning debut novel C'était ça ou mourir was written with the help of artificial intelligence, stating that the work is entirely his own, while confessing to plagiarism in some of his past writings.
Author at the Center of AI and Plagiarism Debates
Quebec-based author Thélyson Orélien broke his silence and made statements following artificial intelligence claims and accusations regarding his past concerning his debut novel.
The Haitian-born author stated that the process he experienced was extremely draining and brutal, defending himself against the accusations directed at him.
Allegations Raised by an Anonymous Account
On the day the novel won the Prix du roman Fnac award, screenshots shared by an anonymous account on social media sparked the controversy.
Scans conducted using Pangram, an AI detection tool, claimed that the book was entirely a product of generative artificial intelligence.
The Author's Defense and the Publisher's Stance
In a statement made through his publisher, it was stated that the accusations directed at him were slanderous, while it was acknowledged that artificial intelligence was only used for foreign idioms.
Renaud Roussel, co-director of Éditions du Boréal, stated that they preferred to trust the author's word rather than the output of an artificial tool.
Admitted Plagiarism in Past Writings
Alongside the AI allegations, it also emerged that the author had committed plagiarism in columns he wrote in the past for newspapers such as La Presse.
Orélien described this situation as unacceptable mistakes belonging to his youth and openly acknowledged the past acts of plagiarism.