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Publishers rely on trust, not tech, to ensure books aren't AI-generated
Publishers rely on trust to ensure books aren't AI
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
In the absence of surefire technology to determine whether something was written by artificial intelligence, some Canadian publishers say they have to rely on something nearly as thorny: trust.
Alana Wilcox, the editorial director of Coach House Books, wrote in an email that the company asks writers to be upfront about whether their work contains material generated by AI.
She says the existing tools to discern the use of AI aren't reliable.
There is renewed attention on the role of artificial intelligence in the book industry after a Quebec publisher cut ties with an author accused of using AI to write his debut novel.
Earlier this week, Montreal-based publishing house Les Éditions du Boréal said an analysis of some documents' metadata found evidence author Thélyson Orélien used AI while writing his novel "C’était ça ou mourir" ("It was either that or dying").
Allegations that Orélien used AI in his book first emerged on social media in September. The author denied using AI to write the book but said he had used it for research. Orélien did not respond to The Canadian Press’ request for comment following the publisher's announcement on Wednesday.
Before the controversy, the novel had been nominated for several major French literary awards and won the Prix du Roman Fnac. It has since been removed from contention for France’s prestigious Prix Goncourt.
Les Éditions du Boréal didn't specify which metadata showed the AI use.
And while the allegations against Orélien illustrate that trust may not always be enough, Wilcox said Coach House Books doesn't see much of an alternative.
"Our contract asks the author to affirm that their book does not contain AI-generated material. But there is no reliable way to police this: the tools that exist have proven unreliable and problematic in countless ways," she wrote.
"Nor are we interested in supporting systems that were trained on stolen material — our books," she added, referencing the fact that AI detection tools are, themselves, artificial intelligence.
Lisa Quinn, president of the Association of Canadian Publishers, said AI technology is a broad descriptor and there is nuance in how assistive AI tools can be used in the publishing industry.
But she says "the publishing industry strongly believes that artistic creation, intellectual creation is a human-centred activity."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
By Kaitlyn McGrath | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Candu attitude: Carney pegs 'good chances' on Canadian bid for Turkey nuclear plant
Carney confident in Candu for Turkish power plant
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Mark Carney says a Canadian company's bid to supply nuclear energy to Turkey has a real shot of winning the lucrative tender.
But he says he probably wouldn't have been singing the same tune a year ago.
Carney is meeting with Turkish business leaders in Istanbul today, a day after he announced a new strategic partnership between Canada and Turkey to deepen co-operation on a range of files.
Energy is one of the pillars of that agreement, and he says the AtkinsRéalis bid to supply two planned Turkish power plants with the Candu nuclear reactor now has "good chances" of succeeding.
Carney says there's a compelling case to be made for the made-in-Canada nuclear technology and prospective partnerships with Turkish construction companies.
The prime minister says contract decisions are ultimately made business to business, but his role in Istanbul is to share how the Canadian market has evolved to be more welcoming to foreign firms and investors.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
Companies in this story: (TSX:ATRL)
By Craig Lord | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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'No merit' to U.S. claims Canada is interfering ahead of midterms: Carney
'No merit' to U.S. politics interference claim: PM
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Mark Carney says there is "no merit" to American claims that Canadians might be interfering in U.S. politics ahead of November's midterm elections.
Officials in the Trump administration, including U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra, have claimed Canadian politicians are interfering in the democratic process south of the border.
Hoekstra has said the administration is watching Canadian politicians closely ahead of the midterms and warned them to butt out of American politics.
Carney has consistently rebutted accusations of electoral interference and told reporters in Turkey today that he's "disappointed" the U.S. envoy is spreading those claims.
Canadian diplomats were told this week not to meet with or attend events with candidates in the U.S. midterm elections amid a period of "heightened sensitivity."
The prime minister says Canada has deep diplomatic ties to the United States but is careful to avoid even the perception of interference in electoral processes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.
By Craig Lord | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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13 hommes dévoilent des méthodes efficaces (selon eux) pour impressionner une femme
J'ai une fascination pour Reddit ces temps-ci. Je comprends aucunement l'utilité, mais je peux pas m'empêcher d'aller voir l'opinion des internautes, surtout sur les sujets qui touchent le dating. C'qui est un peu tordu, c’est que tout le monde semble donner son opinion en étant ben à l'aise, alors que souvent, les propos tenus ont aucun maudit bon sens.
Cette semaine, je suis tombée sur cette question sur Reddit : What's something men do to impress women that actually impress women? 11 843 commentaires et quelques bons gros rires gras plus tard, je t'ai déniché les plus savoureux. Certains sont même plutôt mignons!
1. La semaine dernière, j'ai retourné une omelette parfaitement pendant qu'on jasait, et c'est la première fois que j'ai vu dans son regard qu'elle était réellement impressionnée. -PerfectChaosOne
Ce à quoi un autre gars a répondu : Ok, je viens de passer 10 minutes à checker des tutoriels de flip d'omelette à cause de toi. L'entraide, c'est important!
2. La faire sourire, tout simplement. Maman m'a toujours dit : Il faut toujours découvrir ce qui fait sourire la femme que tu aimes. -Locotxork
Cute!
3. J'ai un vieux truck qui démarre pas tout le temps. Chaque fois que j'ai une femme avec moi et qu'il ne démarre pas, je lève le capot, donne 2-3 coups de tournevis aux bonnes places pis l'affaire est réglée. Je suis un supehéros à ses yeux. -ClosedMadscientist
J'pense qu'un char qui marche sans risquer de s'électrocuter, ça m'impressionne encore plus.
4. C'est ben facile: quand je datais ma femme, je lui disais que j'allais l'appeler en soirée ou à une certaine heure, je le faisais. Tiens tes promesses, être fiable ça amène des points. -ITworkguys
Dommage, il est marié.
5. Je tiens mon appart pas pire clean. Serviettes et draps propres, pas de moisissure, pas de salle de bain dégoûtante, j'ai même une plante! Conseil les gars, mettez un couvercle sur votre poubelle, les filles adorent! -serkenz
Voyons, qui parle? Tu fais faire le tour de ton appart pis tu pointes la poubelle avec un air de fierté?
6. S'excuser quand on fait des gaffes et accepter leurs excuses quand c'est elles les fautives. Et pardonner. -vinsmith93
Bien dit.
7. Aider des vieilles dames. No joke. J'ai eu du sexe une fois parce qu'une fille m'a vu aider une mamie à changer un flat. -mermaidhare
Charmant garçon. Change jamais le flat à ma grand-mère, j'vais m'arranger avec ça, merci.
8. Selon ma blonde, être drôle c'est ce qui marche le mieux. J'suis un average dude, mes cheveux sont ben ordinaires, j'suis pas musclé, mais ma blonde c't'une belle fille. L'humour, ça charme. -Elronnd
J'sais, c'est mon arme de séduction. C'pas ma belle attitude joviale, j'suis tout le temps grumpy.
9. Devenir le meilleur ami de son chat. C'est l'étape #1 pour gagner sa confiance. Je lui donne de l'attention comme si ma vie en dépendait, je le flatte, je joue avec, mais demande-moi jamais de changer sa litière. -thepiansbot
Ça a le mérite d'être honnête.
10. To impress a chick do the helicopter dick. -priceisalright
J'ai pas jugé bon de le traduire. Ça ne méritait pas vraiment cet effort.
11. Aller au Ikea sans devenir complètement fou, ça marche à tout coup. Les femmes adorent magasiner au Ikea, mais nous les hommes on se fait tellement chier quand on va la- Longrod1960
Vrai.
12. Lui amener de la bouffe quand tu sais qu'elle a eu une putain de grosse journée au boulot. Les femmes sont attendries quand tu fais des p'tites attentions pour les faire sentir bien. -dinizdude
Vrai aussi.
13. Couper des cordes de bois à la hache. On dirait que ça leur donne une version primitive de nous, le bûcheron protecteur qui peut les sauver d'un ours. Mais au fond, j'me pisserais dessus si un ours arrivait. -u32cg6
Garde ta hache dans tes mains svp.
Suis-nous donc sur Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRvdUvvAnh7/?taken-by=narcity_montreal&hl=fr
Pis toi, qu'est-ce qui t'impressionne?