Thélyson Orélien Admits Plagiarism and Denies AI Novel Use

Quebec author Thélyson Orélien addressed allegations surrounding his debut novel "It Was Either That or Die," admitting plagiarism in earlier writings while denying claims that artificial intelligence created parts of the acclaimed book that sparked a literary controversy.

The accusations emerged after the novel faced scrutiny in September, when an anonymous X account shared AI detection results claiming the book was generated by artificial intelligence. According to CBC News, the novel was later removed from the Goncourt prize shortlist.

Orélien acknowledged that some previous articles and a short story contained copied material, but said the allegations about his novel were false. He said in a statement distributed by Éditions du Boréal that the plagiarism involved earlier work.

"I claimed as my own texts that are not mine," said Thélyson Orélien, referring to his apology for earlier plagiarism.

Orélien rejected the artificial intelligence allegations involving his 2026 novel and said he only used research tools while writing, particularly for language-related questions. He maintained that the book's text, structure and plot came from his own experience.

"It is slander and heresy," said Thélyson Orélien, addressing claims that artificial intelligence wrote parts of his novel.

"I did use research tools here and there, particularly when it came to foreign idioms," said Thélyson Orélien, explaining his use of digital resources.

"But no sentence in this book was created by a machine," said Thélyson Orélien, denying that artificial intelligence generated the novel.

The author said the controversy affected his reputation after his novel received praise in the French-language literary community. The book follows a Haitian migrant leaving Haiti for Canada, reflecting elements connected to Orélien's own migration experience after the 2010 earthquake.

"The experience I am going through is cruel," said Thélyson Orélien, describing the impact of the accusations.

"By attributing to a machine a text that is mine, that belongs to all my people, they have challenged not only my status as a writer but my humanity," said Thélyson Orélien.

CBC News reported that an AI detection tool called Pangram was cited in the controversy, while Orélien questioned conclusions drawn from such tools. The novel remains under consideration for other literary awards, including the Prix Renaudot.

"100 per cent," said Pangram's result as reported by CBC News regarding the novel's AI detection score.

Orélien also discussed his earlier plagiarism, describing the copied passages as mistakes from his younger years. He said admiration for other writers influenced his earlier writing but did not justify using their words.

"youthful indiscretion," said Thélyson Orélien, describing his earlier plagiarism.

"unacceptable," said Thélyson Orélien, characterizing those past actions.

"I admired rhythms, ways of phrasing sentences that would stay in my head for days," said Thélyson Orélien, explaining how he was influenced by writers he read.

"But admiration did not give me the right to take — to claim as my own — texts that were not mine," said Thélyson Orélien, acknowledging the wrongdoing.

"A youthful indiscretion cannot serve as evidence against a novel begun in 2017 that was finally published in 2026," said Thélyson Orélien, defending the timeline of his novel.

"I didn't write this book to win awards or to become famous. I have nothing to prove to the people who accuse me," said Thélyson Orélien, discussing his reasons for writing the novel.