TORONTO — Canada’s top literary prizes say they largely rely on publishers to ensure the books they award were authored by humans, not artificial intelligence. The executive directors of the Writers’ Trust and Giller Foundation both say they have policies barring AI-written works from their awards. Elana Rabinovitch, who runs the Giller Prize, says publishing houses work closely with their authors and are in a better position to determine whether they used generative AI than the awards organizations. Meanwhile, the Canada Council for the Arts, which administers the Governor General’s Literary Awards, says it’s in the process of establishing a policy setting out “clear expectations” when it comes to AI in books it considers for the prizes. Caroline Lussier, director of arts promotion for the Council, says the organization hopes the policy will be in place for the next competition cycle. The responses come as one of France’s top literature prizes pulled a Canadian author’s debut novel from its long list over allegations he wrote the book with generative AI, which he has denied. Lussier said the Council was already working on its policy before the controversy, and noted the organization has already published guidance on the use of AI in the projects it funds and in reviewing grant applications. The Académie Goncourt announced Friday that it had removed Orélien’s novel, “C’était ça ou mourir,” which translates to “It was either that or dying” from the running for the Prix Goncourt amid allegations that the book was written using artificial intelligence, and separate plagiarism allegations involving his earlier work. Orélien declined to provide comment to The Canadian Press on Friday, saying he was focusing on his health, but earlier this week vehemently denied using AI to write the novel. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2026. -with files by Charlotte Glorieux in Montreal. Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press
