Haitian-Canadian author Thélyson Orélien denies AI use, admits past plagiarism

PARIS — Haitian-Canadian author Thélyson Orélien on Tuesday rejected accusations that he used artificial intelligence to write his bestselling debut novel, while admitting he had plagiarised in the past, according to Reuters and Le Nouvelliste. In a letter sent to media by his French publisher Grasset, Orélien addressed in detail allegations that his award-winning 2026 novel 'C'était Ça ou Mourir' ('It Was Either That or Die') was written using AI. A little-known X account, 'Balance ton Claude,' claimed in September that an AI detection tool showed the novel was written almost entirely by AI; French essayist Samuel Fitoussi later said he managed the account with others. Canadian newspaper La Presse reported that a 2012 short story by Orélien plagiarised passages from French author Louis Pauwels, while a 2013 opinion piece copied from The Philippine Star. Orélien, 37, called his past actions 'unacceptable mistakes' but denied using AI, writing: 'This novel, I wrote it myself. It comes from my wounds and those of other migrants.' He condemned 'threats, media lynching, and racist harassment.' The novel, which follows a Haitian migrant traveling north to Canada, was removed from the Goncourt prize longlist following the accusations.