French writer Philippe Guenada defended his "playful", "ironic" and very limited use of artificial intelligence in his novel, which won this year's prestigious Goncourt literary prize, in his words.
Yesterday (Friday), Jainada said in a statement carried by Agence France-Presse through the Flammarion publishing house he owns, in which he explained how he uses this technology, “It is completely ridiculous to think, even for half a second, that I used generative artificial intelligence to write anything in this book.”
He added: “Using artificial intelligence in a fun or sarcastic way (...) while fully acknowledging that above all (...) was actually part of my plan even before I started writing.”
Jaenada - who was announced on Tuesday as the winner of the 2026 Goncourt Prize for his novel “The Unknown Woman on the Javel Pier” - admitted that he used artificial intelligence three times during the writing process.
His comments came amid a wave of negative reactions globally against academics and authors who were excluded from literary competitions due to allegations that they used this technology in their writings.
Jaenada reiterated that he used artificial intelligence only three times in his novel, which deals with the mysterious and unsolved murder of a woman from the Brittany region in the late 1940s.
Initially, the author asked the AI chatbots a question, and stated that he received “ridiculously accurate answers,” which he considered made them “stupid and contradictory.” Then use AI in a more traditional way, which is to conduct research. Finally, he said that he deliberately “hid a sentence generated by artificial intelligence within the text.” He pointed out that the sentence consists of only 10 words, and since the book was published, he has received dozens of guesses from readers. The writer said that he decided to reveal the sentence in response to “stupidity, betrayal, and bad faith.”
Last month, a Canadian publishing house confirmed that it had severed its relationship with Haitian-Canadian writer Thélison Orléans, who was one of the most likely candidates for the Goncourt Award, after his novel was withdrawn from the final list for the award after speculation spread that he used artificial intelligence to write it.
The promotional advertisement for the new documentary series about US First Lady Melania Trump has divided opinions on the Internet, according to the Independent newspaper.
According to Amazon MGM Studios, the “Melania” series reveals stories told for the first time, and provides an unprecedented look into the life of Melania Trump, including the extraordinary days that immediately followed the inauguration of the 47th US President.
The series consists of two episodes, the first titled “Family & Trust,” while the second is titled “Pride & Honor,” and is scheduled to begin showing on November 20 on the Prime Video platform.
This work comes months after the release of a documentary film produced by Amazon MGM Studios, which dealt with the life of the First Lady during the twenty days preceding the inauguration ceremony of her husband, Donald Trump, for a second presidential term.
In the promotional advertisement for the new series, Melania appears saying in a voiceover: “I am a mother and a wife, and also a first lady.”
As shots of her son Barron appear on the screen, she adds: “He is my priority, and he will always be my priority.”
Sharp criticism and widespread interaction
The promotional clip sparked strong reactions among viewers, especially since its release came a few days after Trump and the Republicans suffered a crushing defeat in the midterm elections.
One user wrote on the “X” platform: “What perfect timing!” "You can't make this thing up!"
While another user described Melania as “completely lacking in common sense,” asking: “This must be just a joke, right?”
Another person commented: “After the election debacle that occurred Tuesday evening, the belief that the public is craving more content related to the Trump family reflects a complete disconnect from reality. Understand the mood, Amazon!
Another user wrote: “A series? The film failed miserably!”, referring to the documentary that was released earlier this year.
The new series comes a few months after the release of a documentary of the same name, “Melania,” which documented the 20 days leading up to Donald Trump’s inauguration for his second term in 2025.
The film, produced by Amazon MGM Studios, faced harsh criticism from critics, and its global revenues only slightly exceeded $16 million.
The studio incurred significant financial losses due to the high cost of the film, which amounted to $40 million to produce the documentary, in addition to about $35 million allocated for marketing alone.
These amounts raised speculation that Amazon had invested this amount of money in an effort to get closer to the US President.
In an interview in May, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos defended the $75 million total cost of “Melania” as “a sound business decision.”
Early last September, actress Salma Hayek turned 60. Whoever looks at her face can hardly believe the number. The same is the case with Jennifer Lopez, who is over 57 years old, but she still looks in her forties with her fit body and fresh skin. As for Brad Pitt, who would believe that he is 3 years over 60?
Not long ago, even the most beautiful Hollywood faces reflected their true age, or perhaps more. Sophia Loren's features, for example, at the age of 60 are not like Salma Hayek's features now. The matter is not limited to stars of the screen or stage, as it is enough to browse family albums to discover that the mother, at the age of 50, looked to be in her fifties, and the uncle, who was in his forties, reflected his real age, and sometimes more. Currently, fifty-year-olds appear to be 40, forty-year-olds appear to be 30, and so on.
Were our parents young and old?
It is true that Hollywood stars are privileged in terms of luxury and the ability to take care of themselves, but the phenomenon of slow aging, or the absence of signs of aging in appearance, is no longer limited to famous actors and singers.
The first explanation for this transformation has visual and psychological dimensions. When we look at pictures of people from the past, we see them wearing old-fashioned clothes and hairstyles, and we think they are old. It is enough for a person in his forties to look at a photo of his parents when they were his age, to be amazed at how much older they look than him in that photo.
From a technical and aesthetic standpoint, image culture has undergone radical transformations over the years, especially in this digital age. Today's photos are much higher resolution than those taken with traditional cameras, and we must not forget the extensive use of beautification, retouching and filtering programs on social media platforms, which makes the skin and features appear fresher and more youthful.
Chronological age < biological age
Never in human history has there been such a difference between biological age and chronological age as is recorded in our current time. If chronological age is that which is calculated starting from the date of birth, then biological age is measured based on how quickly cells, tissues, and organs age.
According to a study conducted in Sweden and published by the American platform “Health Digest”, older Swedish men are biologically 3 to 4 years younger than men of the same age from previous generations. The matter is not limited to Sweden, Europe, or the United States, but rather extends to all parts of the world, where people enjoy a fair degree of medical care and health awareness.
The second reason, then, for the noticeable difference in age features between yesterday and today is progress in the fields of medicine, nutrition, and lifestyle in general. This means that people are becoming more aware of what they eat, treating their diseases with appropriate medicines, and compensating for what they lack in vitamins by taking nutritional supplements. As for women, they no longer give birth to a large number of children as was the case in the past, and this also helps them maintain a more youthful appearance.
In addition to this, there is a reduction in smoking and an increasing interest in sports, as evidenced by the fact that sports clubs invade every street in the world and are always full of exercisers who want to improve their fitness and agility.
Don't neglect sunscreen
It remains that the main reason why people appear more youthful than they did in the past is skin care methods and cosmetic interventions that have become an essential part of the daily lives of people, both female and male.
In the past, skin care was limited to moisturizing cream. Today, the daily routine ranges from vitamin C serum in the morning, retinol in the evening, and anti-aging products in between, filler injections, Botox, collagen drinks, and many others.
This is accompanied by a growing awareness of the fragility of the skin and the importance of protecting it. While some of the previous generation used to apply tanning oil on their faces when they went to the beach, the new generation does not leave the house before applying sunscreen.
Healthy aging is more important than eternal youth
Beyond sunscreen, and less severe and expensive than plastic surgery, there are methods to maintain more youthful skin that skin treatment specialist Salam Morgana talks about in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat.
Morgana points out that the current popular concept is well aging, meaning aging well. “The goal is no longer limited to appearing younger. The basis is to grow older while maintaining healthy, radiant, and natural skin.”
Investing smartly in healthy skin is based on certain steps listed by Marjana. “First, it is inevitable to adhere to wearing sunscreen, to avoid the effects of ultraviolet rays, which increase the possibility of wrinkles, pigmentation, and loss of skin elasticity.” The choice of skin care products should not be random, but must be in line with the nature of the skin and what it can tolerate. Morgana focuses on the most effective products in correcting the signs of skin aging, led by antioxidant retinoids and peptides.
Each age group has its own treatments
The matter does not stop at creams and serums, as the world of beauty today offers endless possibilities of non-surgical treatments that support the freshness and youth of the skin.
Morgana uses fractional laser technology, which activates collagen production, treats the beginnings of wrinkles, scars, and pigmentation, and improves the texture of the skin. Then the skin treatment specialist explains that each age group has its own non-surgical treatments:
* From 30 to 39 years
The most important thing is prevention by using sunscreen and moisturizing antioxidants in the morning, especially vitamin C serum, and retinoids in the evening if it suits the skin, and without neglecting professional cleaning treatments.
* From 40 to 49 years
Protection continues, and treatment begins, that is, not dispensing with sunscreen, vitamin C, and retinoids, with intensive care for wrinkles, dark spots, and dehydration. Here peptide and hyaluronic acid come to play an additional role. Non-surgical treatments are also recommended, such as BBL, which uses high-intensity light pulses to repair, rejuvenate, brighten and even out skin tone.
Among the non-surgical treatments that can be performed at this stage is microneedling, i.e. micro-needling. It is a slight penetration into the surface of the skin that stimulates the production of collagen and elastin.
* 50 and above
Supporting hormonal changes begins with intensive hydration and anti-aging care, while maintaining all of the above preparations, and without neglecting the evening routine.
As for treatments, Morgana recommends Ultherapy, which is a non-surgical cosmetic procedure that uses ultrasound supported by direct imaging technology to tighten and lift sagging skin in the face, neck, and chest areas.
