We and our partners do the following data processing based on your consent: store and/or access information on a device, personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development Canadian publisher drops author Orelien after confirming he used AI in debut novel The Canadian publisher representing Thélyson Orélien on Wednesday said it had dropped the prize-nominated writer over new information indicating that he did use artificial intelligence to write his acclaimed debut. Haitian-born Quebecois writer, poet, and novelist Thélyson Orélien shown during a photo session in Paris on September 8, 2026. © Joel Saget, AFP/ File picture The publisher of acclaimed Haitian-Canadian writer Thélyson Orélien said on Wednesday it had confirmed that he used artificial intelligence to help write his novel “It Was Either That or Die”. The top-selling author has denied allegations that he used AI on his breakthrough novel and, last week, Canadian publisher Boréalhad said it was standing by Orélien.
Read moreNovelist Thélyson Orélien rejects AI claims after bestseller pulled from French prize list But on Wednesday, Boréal said it had conducted a further investigation into the allegations. The publisher announced it was “ending its professional relationship” with Orélien. Boréal said it did not know the extent of AI’s use in the writing process “and we will likely never have a definitive answer”.
It said it gathered all the working versions of the novel and hired an outside party to analyse the various drafts. Read moreCould a controversial award-winning short story signal a new era of literary 'AI slop'? Before conducting this analysis, the publisher said it had tried to work with Orélien to gather the evidence necessary to prove his innocence.
That effort was inconclusive, and Orélien “subsequently announced that he would not provide any further information”, the publisher said. The novel about migration, known by its original French title “C’etait ca ou mourir”, had been scheduled for translation in more than 20 countries. The book was shrouded in suspicion and withdrawn from the shortlist for France’s top book prize, the Goncourt, after tests with AI detector Pangram indicated a 100-percent probability it contained computer-generated text.
In a statement to earlier this month, Orélien called the allegations “slander and heresy”. He said he started writing the book in late 2017 “on the corner of a table” and completed a first draft in 2019 of more than 300 pages, several years before the advent of AI services such as ChatGPT. Orélien fled his native Haiti following a 2010 earthquake that struck the Caribbean island already ravaged by poverty and unrest.
Novelist Thélyson Orélien rejects AI claims after bestseller pulled from French prize list Prix Goncourt drops Canadian-Haitian writer from top French literary prize list over AI claims 1. 1 ## France issues curfew for major French cities including Paris, Bordeaux and Nice As it happened France Includes a video 2. 2 ## France imposes nightly curfews for 'as long as necessary' in Paris, other major cities As it happened Europe 3. 3 ## 'Like we had a war': France left reeling after nationwide violent protests France 4. 4 ## Macron says 'nothing justifies' violence in protests during address to nation France Includes a video 8 min 5. 5 ## France faces reckoning with public order policing after violent protest weekend Analysis France 6. 6 ## Paris police clash with demonstrators and looters as protests continue France © 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites. Audience ratings certified by ACPM.ACPM The content you requested does not exist or is not available anymore.
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