Montreal author defends her writing as human after AI detector flagged prizewinning story
Montreal author Chanel Sutherland is defending her award-winning story, Descend, after an AI detection service flagged it as likely AI-generated. Sutherland, who emphasizes her work's roots in Vincentian oral storytelling, strongly denies using AI in her writing. The incident has sparked broader concerns about the implications of AI in the literary world and the ethics of its use in judging creative works.
- ▪Chanel Sutherland won the 2025 Commonwealth Prize for her story Descend.
- ▪An AI detection service flagged 88 percent of her story as likely AI-generated, which Sutherland denies.
- ▪Her publisher, House of Anansi Press, supports her and criticizes the biases in AI detection.
- ▪The Commonwealth Foundation stated they do not use AI checkers in their judging process due to concerns about consent and artistic ownership.
- ▪The controversy highlights ongoing issues regarding AI's impact on the publishing industry and the authenticity of creative works.
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Open this photo in gallery:Montreal author Chanel Sutherland won the 2025 Commonwealth Prize for her story Descend, in which enslaved Africans share their stories while aboard a sinking ship.SuppliedShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountAllegations of artificial intelligence-generated writing in a prestigious short-story contest have shaken the literary world – and have left Montreal author Chanel Sutherland to defend her work as genuinely human.Her publisher, House of Anansi Press, is warning about the perils of using AI to hunt down AI, too.Sutherland was born in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and moved to Canada at 10.
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