Prix Goncourt removes novel from longlist over AI writing concerns

In short: France’s Prix Goncourt removed a novel from its 2026 longlist after judges said it was likely written largely with AI, and the author denies the claim.

What happened

Judges for the Prix Goncourt, France’s best known French language book prize, have taken a novel off their 2026 longlist. The book is C’était ça ou mourir (“It was that or die”) by Haitian-Canadian author Thélyson Orélien.

The Goncourt Academy said the decision was meant to protect the prize’s integrity. It said the novel was “in all likelihood” largely produced using artificial intelligence, meaning software that can generate text. The academy also pointed to allegations of plagiarism, which means copying other people’s writing without permission.

The accusations first appeared on an anonymous account on X called “Balance ton Claude.” The group says it uses Pangram, an AI detection tool, to check books. AI detection tools try to guess whether a text was written by a person or by a machine, a bit like a lie detector test but for writing, and they can be wrong.

Orélien denied using AI to write his work in an interview with La Presse in Montreal. His Canadian publisher, Boréal, said it suspended the book’s promotional tour while it could not confirm or deny the allegations.

Why it matters

This case shows how messy it can be to prove whether AI helped write a book. It also raises a practical question for authors and publishers. Should a major career decision be made based on a tool that may not be fully reliable?

Source: Financial Times