Haitian-Canadian literary tradition disrupted by AI-driven publishing industry: systemic exploitation of racialised authors and the erosion of creative sovereignty
Original framing: “Canadian publisher drops Thelyson Orelien, says he used AI to write novel” — South China Morning Post
The controversy around Orelien’s novel has largely ignored the perspectives of other racialised and marginalised authors who have faced similar challenges in the publishing industry. For example, Black and Indigenous writers often navigate a landscape where their work is either commercialised without credit or dismissed as 'unmarketable' due to cultural specificity. The lack of representation in discussions about AI in publishing further marginalises these voices, as the debate is framed around individual moral failings rather than systemic inequities. Marginalised authors have historically been excluded from conversations about creative labour, yet their experiences are crucial to understanding how AI tools disproportionately affect them. The absence of their voices in this narrative reinforces the very structures that perpetuate inequality in the literary industry, leaving them with little agency over their own creative processes.
The controversy surrounding Thelyson Orelien’s novel is not merely about the use of AI in writing but about the systemic erosion of creative sovereignty for marginalised authors.
The publisher’s abrupt reversal exposes how corporate publishing structures, historically rooted in colonial exploitation, now leverage AI to further marginalise racialised voices while presenting it as a neutral technological advancement. This case mirrors broader patterns in the gig economy, where AI-mediated oversight is used to discipline and replace human labour, particularly targeting those already precariously positioned. The spiritual and artistic integrity of Orelien’s work, deeply tied to Haitian-Canadian traditions, is at odds with the homogenising forces of AI-driven publishing, which prioritise scalability over authenticity. Without ethical guidelines, policy reforms, and collective creative spaces, the industry risks further commodifying and depoliticising marginalised cultural narratives, leaving authors like Orelien with no agency over their own creative processes. The trickster dynamics at play—where corporate narratives deflect from systemic inequities—highlight the need for structural change to restore cultural sovereignty in publishing.