New Delhi: AI-written books can now compete for a literary prize. The Prix Pascal de Littérature IA has invited submissions for manuscripts co-written with AI.
Applicants must submit an unpublished manuscript, along with detailed information about the AI model they used and the prompts they entered to generate the text. The manuscripts should be between 10,000 and 50,000 words.
“All major language models are allowed, including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and LLaMA. Entrants can be based anywhere, but the entries must be submitted in French,” a report by The Guardian said.
The Prix Pascal is named after Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician, philosopher and polymath who invented one of the earliest mechanical calculators. Pope Francis has also praised Pascal for his “philosophical depth and literary charm”.
As AI tools become increasingly common, editors across the globe are finding themselves in deep waters over their inability to differentiate between AI and genuine writing.
The prize’s announcement comes amid a literary controversy involving Canadian-Haitian writer Thélyson Orélien.
He won the French FNAC novel prize for his book C’était ça ou mourir (It Was Either That or Die), but was later accused of extensive AI use.
He was subsequently removed from the shortlist for the Prix Goncourt prize, while his Montreal-based publisher, Éditions du Boréal, announced that it was ending its professional relationship with him.
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AI-written fiction with a larger purpose
Competing for the Prix Pascal de Littérature IA is not as easy as it sounds. It requires thorough literary rigour, which even AI might struggle to deliver.
Applicants must submit a work of fiction that tackles “ethical, social or ecological problems threatening humanity”.
The prize was founded not by editors or writers but by three entrepreneurs: Philippe Rodriguez, a founding partner at Avolta, a mergers and acquisitions advisory firm; Albin Serviant, who formerly chaired Têtu, an LGBTQ+ magazine; and Gilles Mentré, a former civil servant with a PhD in philosophy, teaching at Harvard University.
Applications opened on 20 October, and submissions can be made through the prize’s website until the end of November.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)