UK, France, Germany develop systems to verify human-written book

Initiatives aimed at certifying that books are written by humans are gaining momentum as concerns grow over the undisclosed use of artificial intelligence in literature, AFP reported.

Verification systems developed in the United Kingdom, France and Germany were presented this week at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest book fair, where the impact of AI on literary creativity sparked heated debate, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

The movement has gained attention following several recent controversies, including allegations against Haitian-Canadian author Thélyson Orélien, who was accused on social media of using AI to write his debut novel. The writer has strongly denied the claims.

In France, the controversy caused a “real earthquake” in the publishing industry, according to Charlotte Allibert, co-founder of Librinova, a self-publishing platform and literary agency.

Librinova offers a “human creation” certification designed to verify the origins of literary works.

To obtain the certification, authors must submit their manuscripts for analysis using AI-detection software, followed by an interview with an evaluator who examines their writing process.

Approximately 200 works have received the certification so far.

According to Allibert, the initiative responds to growing concerns among writers, particularly self-published authors, who increasingly fear being suspected of using AI.

Publishers seek transparent certification systems

In the United Kingdom, startup Books By People has introduced its own certification system, which was officially registered with the UK Intellectual Property Office this week.

To qualify, books must meet the company’s criteria for “organic literature.”

Under these rules, the author must have written the original text, although limited use of AI is permitted, particularly for spelling and grammar corrections.

“We want to create a global, transparent and reliable framework that publishers and writers can depend on,” co-founder Esme Dennys told AFP.

Publishers can access the certification system for a fee and request that books written by their authors carry the Books By People label.

Five independent publishing houses have already joined the initiative, with additional members expected to be announced in the coming months.

In the United States, the Authors Guild has introduced a “Human Authored” label that writers can apply to their books through a self-certification process.

Approximately 6,500 books have already received the designation.

AI controversies shake publishing industry

The controversy involving Thélyson Orélien erupted in September after a post on X alleged that the 38-year-old author had used AI to write his debut novel, C’était ça ou mourir.

The post, which had received five million views since September 21, based its allegations on findings from an AI-generated text detection tool.

Orélien rejected the accusations and said the attacks against him were motivated by racism.

Nevertheless, the controversy led to his removal from the selection for France’s prestigious Goncourt literary prize.

Other cases have also fueled debate in 2026.

Earlier this year, publisher Hachette canceled the planned US release of Mia Ballard’s horror novel Shy Girl and withdrew the book from sale in the United Kingdom following allegations of AI use.

Speaking to The New York Times, Ballard denied personally using AI to write the novel but acknowledged that an acquaintance she had hired to edit the manuscript had used the technology.

Industry questions reliability of AI labels

Despite the growing number of certification initiatives, some publishing professionals remain skeptical about their effectiveness.

Existing systems generally permit limited AI use for activities such as research, spelling corrections and editing. However, critics argue that these exceptions leave considerable room for interpretation.

Others warn that the verification procedures could be relatively easy to circumvent, potentially allowing AI-generated books to be certified as human-written works.

Sebastian Guggolz, president of the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, said the publishing industry was struggling to define a common approach to the issue.

“There is simply no clear distinction between ‘with AI’ and ‘without AI’,” he said at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

According to Guggolz, systems that merely measure the extent of AI involvement in producing a book may not be sufficient.

“The question needs to be explored more deeply, both individually and across the entire profession: How can we make our practices more transparent?” he said.

Photo: Chat GPT