Le Goncourt removes Thélyson Orélien's novel from its selection after accusations of use of AI and plagiarism

By Le Figaro with AFP

The Renaudot and Femina juries are considering the question of keeping the novel by Thélyson Orélien on their list, suspected of having written with the help of AI.

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While the Goncourt Academy still held out hope of a positive outcome two days earlier, it ended up conceding on Friday that It Was That or Die “is in all likelihood very largely the product of an AI”. Added to the very substantiated accusations of plagiarism, this observation led the prestigious prize to remove the work from its first selection for its prize which will be awarded on November 4. The media coverage of past plagiarism has accelerated this decision-making, which automatically excludes the work of Goncourt for high school students and Goncourt for prisoners - It was that or die is still on the lists of Renaudot, Femina and Médicis.

This decision is explained “by the desire to preserve the integrity of the Goncourt Prize (…) whose central role consists of promoting and rewarding literature written by women and men”, explains the Goncourt Academy in a press release sent to AFP.

Also read Accused of having written his book with AI, Thélyson Orélien now suspected of numerous plagiarisms

Accusations that sow doubt

On Wednesday, Philippe Claudel, president of the Goncourt academy, told Le Figaro

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It was that or die: after the Goncourt decision to exclude the novel, the other literary prizes are questioning themselves

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