Quebec publisher cuts ties with author after AI evidence found in novel

Explainer

Montreal publishing house Éditions du Boréal announced Wednesday it is ending its professional relationship with author Thélyson Orélien. The publisher said new information confirmed over recent days indicates that artificial intelligence was used in the writing process of Orélien's debut novel, C’était ça ou mourir. Consequently, Boréal said it will not reprint the book or publish any further books by Orélien. The author did not respond to a request for comment from The Canadian Press. The publisher said it commissioned an external analysis of all working versions of the manuscript after initial efforts to compile a record with the author failed. "The results, received this week, revealed traces of AI markers in the metadata of certain documents," the publisher wrote. It stated that while it does not know to what extent AI was used, and may never have a definitive answer, the situation came down to an issue of trust between author and publisher.

While we do not, now or in the future, accept to play the role of investigator in relation to our authors, this extraordinary situation made it clear we could not simply leave matters as they were.

Boréal said it communicated its decision to Orélien before making it public. The publisher also urged people to exercise restraint to bring an end to the personal attacks against Orélien. In its news release, the publisher stated, "As we have stated from the outset, beyond the book and the controversy, there is, first and foremost, a human being." The novel, C’était ça ou mourir, translates to "It was either that or die." It tells the story of a Haitian migrant who leaves his home for Canada, which is based on Orélien's own experience leaving Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

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What sparked the initial allegations?

Allegations of AI use emerged on social media in September. An account using the name "Balance ton Claude" alleged that, according to the Pangram software, excerpts of Orélien’s novel had been written "almost entirely by artificial intelligence." This occurred on Sept. 21, the same day the novel won the Prix du roman Fnac. Following its publication in the spring, the novel had been lauded by many in the French-language literary world and earned nominations for several major French awards. Since the allegations emerged, it has been removed from the running for France’s prestigious Prix Goncourt.

How did the author respond?

Orélien has repeatedly denied using AI to write the book. In an Oct. 13 press release, he said he started working on it in 2017 and finished the first draft in 2019, and that he used AI only for research. "What I am going through is cruel," he wrote. "By attributing a text, one that is mine ... to a machine, they have not only called into question my status as a writer but also my humanity." In a statement last week, Orélien called the accusations "slander and heresy," saying the text, structure and plot all come "straight from my gut." Separately, he admitted to plagiarism in some of his early work after media reported resemblances or near-identical paragraphs between his texts and other sources. He apologized for what he described as unacceptable mistakes of his youth, while maintaining that no sentence in his novel was generated by a machine.

What has been the reaction from the literary community?

Pierre-Yves Villeneuve, president of the Quebec writers’ union, praised the publisher’s decision. "We’ve just declared clearly that this type of work doesn’t have its place on our shelves," he said in an interview. He criticized the publisher's earlier ambiguous stance, which he said put an unfair burden on readers. "It’s a situation that was completely unfair, because the reader didn’t have any information to know whether this book was really written by Thélyson (Orélien)," said Villeneuve. While happy with the decision, he called on Boréal to release more details on the evidence of AI use to help readers and provide a road map for similar situations. "They had promised us a detailed record, and they did not deliver," said Villeneuve.

Will bookstores stop selling the novel?

Floriane Claveau, spokesperson for the major Quebec bookstore chain Renaud-Bray, told The Canadian Press that Boréal's decision would not make a big difference for bookstores until existing copies run out. "If a book is available and there is demand, we simply keep it available. We don’t position ourselves as judges or censors of content," she said. Claveau noted the book had sold out in several Renaud-Bray locations. The book was set for a new printing this week, which Boréal has now cancelled. The publisher had previously suspended promotional activities for the novel in September, citing concerns for the author’s well-being. Boréal said the case raises a fundamental question about trust. "We chose this book because it moved us deeply, long before its success in bookstores and awards," the publisher wrote. "We understand the disappointment felt by some, and we share it."

With files from The Canadian Press, Global News and CBC News