An author has expressed devastation after judges at the National Eisteddfod literary festival accused her of using artificial intelligence to write an unpublished novel. The judges, who awarded the work the lowest ranking, stated that the novel lacked a narrative arc and was difficult to read, leading them to suspect it was AI-generated.
Meinir Wyn Edwards, one of the judges, said during the ceremony on Tuesday that the novel's "clumsy, flawed expression makes the whole thing almost impossible to read." She added that they suspected "an artificial intelligence machine created the novel and that the author didn't even bother to read through the work." The adjudicators stated the novel was placed "at the bottom of the pile."
In response, the author, who has chosen to remain anonymous as is customary for the competition, told BBC Wales that her novel was a "personal story" about her family history. She described herself as "devastated" upon hearing the adjudication broadcast live. "I was devastated when I watched it because there was a whole minute of insults and sarcasm and laughing and this feeling that perhaps it had been written by AI," she said, adding that she felt "personally affronted and upset because, like all writers, I'm very nervous about my work."
The author also noted that this was her first time writing in Welsh, a language she is still learning. "It's very personal. I've written for a long time. I've never written in Welsh before," she stated.
The independent judges have since issued an apology, expressing their "deep sorrow" for the distress caused to the author. The Daniel Owen Memorial Prize is for unpublished novels of at least 50,000 words, and all entrants compete under pseudonyms as part of the festival's confidentiality rules.