After observing his reputation being dismantled in recent weeks, Quebec author Thélyson Orélien has broken his silence to address the allegations of utilizing artificial intelligence in crafting his first novel. Disputing the claims, he denounced them as slander and falsehood, as conveyed in a statement released by his Quebec-based publisher, Éditions du Boréal, on Tuesday.
Titled “C’était ça ou mourrir,” translating to “It was either that or die,” the novel narrates the tale of a Haitian migrant’s journey to Canada, mirroring Orélien’s own migration post the 2010 earthquake. Initially praised by the French literary community, the novel faced scrutiny when excerpts were analyzed through an AI detection tool by an anonymous X account on Sept. 21, coinciding with the novel’s reception of the Prix du roman Fnac.
The AI tool, Pangram, identified the novel as entirely generated by artificial intelligence. Orélien acknowledged using AI tools sporadically for research, particularly with foreign idioms, but asserted that the text’s essence, structure, and storyline were his original creation.
In a statement, Orélien expressed the distress he endured over the past weeks, citing media scrutiny and racist attacks as unbearable. He condemned the attribution of his work to a machine, emphasizing that the novel embodies his identity and cultural heritage, not AI-generated content.
Disputing the reliability of Pangram, Orélien dismissed the tool’s accuracy, which had been endorsed by experts for detecting AI-generated content. Amidst the controversy surrounding the tool and his writing methods, Orélien faced additional plagiarism accusations linked to his past columns dating back to 2012, leading to his distancing from literary events and accolades like the Prix Goncourt.
French columnist Samuel Fitoussi disclosed being one of the individuals behind the X account that originally raised the AI usage allegations against Orélien. Admitting to past plagiarism in his early works, Orélien attributed the actions to youthful indiscretions, influenced by his eagerness to write after leaving Haiti and admiring certain authors’ styles.
Orélien urged that his novel be judged based on its content, inspired by his personal experiences and interactions with migrants, stressing that a few past mistakes should not overshadow the authenticity of his work. Amid ongoing debates, Orélien opted to refrain from further comments and interviews, as confirmed by Éditions du Boréal.
While the controversy unfolded during his press tour in France, Orélien has returned to Quebec. The fate of his novel, “C’était ça ou mourrir,” remains uncertain, with nominations for prestigious literary awards like the Prix Renaudot, Prix littéraire de la Porte Dorée, and Prix Médicis still pending.
