The Académie Goncourt has removed Haitian-Canadian writer Phelix-Tellyson Aurelien's novel "This or Death" from the longlist of the prestigious literary prize following allegations that the author used artificial intelligence to write the text. Aurelien strongly denies the claims, but the outcry in the French literary community has already sparked a wide debate around the use of new technologies, the originality of creative works, and their true value.
Rumors regarding the possible use of artificial intelligence first surfaced this week on the X account "Balance ton Claude," whose creator, Samuel Fitoussi, later admitted to running the page alongside others. Subsequent reports emerged pointing to potential plagiarism in Aurelien's earlier short stories and columns. The author has not yet responded to these additional allegations.
The Academy announced that it decided to drop the book from the list to fully preserve the integrity and core mission of the Goncourt Prize. The institution emphasized that it opposes the creation of texts using AI and stated it will offer no further comments until October 6.
"This or Death" tells the story of a Haitian migrant traveling to North America. The book had already received several awards, and the publishers initially backed the author completely. The accusers stated that checking the text with the Pangram software revealed nearly total use of AI, although experts point out that the reliability of such detectors remains controversial.
This situation illustrates how unprepared the modern literary world is for the challenges of new digital technologies. The use of software like Pangram, whose accuracy experts still question, could set a dangerous precedent for any author.
The Académie Goncourt's swift response is understandable, as the institution seeks to protect its reputation. Nevertheless, in the absence of definitive proof, the removal of the book raises questions about where the line is drawn between technological assistance and independent creation.
