MONTREAL — A Quebec publishing house is cutting ties with author Thélyson Orélien after saying it found evidence he used artificial intelligence to write his debut novel. Les Éditions du Boréal says analysis of some documents’ metadata showed AI was used while writing the book. The publisher says it will not reprint the book or publish more books by Orélien. The allegations of AI use in his book, “C’était ça ou mourir” (“It was either that or dying”), emerged on social media in September. Orélien has denied using AI in to write the book but said he had used it for research. Before the controversy, the novel won the Prix du Roman Fnac and earned nominations for several major French literary awards. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2025. Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman, The Canadian Press
