French novel sparks debate over AI authorship amid literary scandal

The French literary scene is currently embroiled in controversy over whether the novel "C’était ça ou mourir" was authored entirely or largely by artificial intelligence, according to theamericanconservative.com. The book, written by Thélyson Orélien, a Haitian refugee living in Montreal, became a sensation overnight, winning prizes and selling tens of thousands of copies.

The novel, which narrates the experiences of a Haitian refugee reaching Canada, was shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt, France's premier literary prize. However, allegations surfaced when a journalist from Le Figaro, Samuel Fitoussi, claimed the book was written by AI, a charge that Orélien has strongly denied.

The book was analyzed using the Pangram program, designed to detect AI-generated writing, which indicated the novel was wholly AI-written. Yet, the reliability of Pangram is questioned, including by AI itself, leaving the issue unresolved.

The controversy echoes previous literary scandals, such as the case of Jason Arday, a Cambridge professor exposed as a plagiarist and fantasist, highlighting ongoing challenges in verifying authorship in literature.

An online French literary magazine has invited a review of the book, but the review has not yet been published, so judgments on the book's literary merits remain pending.