# The Thélyson Orélien affair and the use of AI in publishing > In late October 2026, Thélyson Orélien is accused of having used artificial intelligence for his first novel. On 26 October, Frédéric Martin, CEO of Robert Laffont publishing, defends him and announces the publication of a work using AI. On 28 October, a poll indicates that over 90% of French people want a mandatory label on the cover of books written with AI. The same day, the Renaudot prize jury excludes Thélyson Orélien's novel from its finalists. **In brief**: Ongoing story bringing together 3 events nationwide, followed from 26 October 2026 to 29 October 2026. 11 articles from 9 sources (society); last updated on 29 October 2026 at 09:05. - Status: ongoing - Category: Society - Place: Nationwide - First detected: 26 October 2026 at 19:41 - Updated: 29 October 2026 at 09:05 - Web page: https://acturadar.com/en/stories/102-the-thelyson-orelien-affair-and-the-use-of-ai-in-publishing ## Timeline (3 events) ### 26 October 2026 — [The head of Robert Laffont defends Thélyson Orélien and assumes the use of AI](https://acturadar.com/en/events/1271-the-head-of-robert-laffont-defends-thelyson-orelien-and-assumes-the-use-of-ai.md) Frédéric Martin, director general of the Robert Laffont editions, defends Thélyson Orélien, accused of using AI for his first novel, and announces the publication of a book using AI. 2 sources, 2 articles · Nationwide ### 28 October 2026 — [Poll: over 90% of French people want an AI label on books](https://acturadar.com/en/events/2499-poll-over-90-of-french-people-want-an-ai-label-on-books.md) According to a poll, more than 90% of French people want a mandatory mention on the cover of books written with artificial intelligence, in the wake of the Thélyson Orélien case. 3 sources, 3 articles · Nationwide ### 28 October 2026 — [Prix Renaudot: Thélyson Orélien's novel ruled out of finalists](https://acturadar.com/en/events/3388-prix-renaudot-thelyson-orelien-s-novel-ruled-out-of-finalists.md) The Renaudot jury has unveiled six finalists and declined to retain Thélyson Orélien's novel, which is accused of using artificial intelligence. 5 sources, 6 articles · Nationwide --- Cite as: Acturadar, “The Thélyson Orélien affair and the use of AI in publishing”, https://acturadar.com/en/stories/102-the-thelyson-orelien-affair-and-the-use-of-ai-in-publishing Methodology: https://acturadar.com/en/methodology