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NOPE
Low reported severity Investigation Opened

Publisher suspends presentations of its prize-winning novel for review after an El País Pangram check reported 99% AI text; it says the author denies AI use

El País checked the winning novel of the first Almadía Ventosa-Arrufat short-novel prize (20,000 euros; the rules banned generative AI) with the Pangram AI-text detector, which scored 99% of the roughly 26,000-word text as AI-generated, according to outlets relaying the investigation. El País passed its suspicions to the Mexican publisher Almadía, which on Friday 23 October 2026 announced a detailed review, saying it would not anticipate conclusions, and suspended all activities presenting the book, including a planned tour in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Cádiz. The publisher said the Peruvian author had declared in his contract and personally that he did not use AI, and that neither the jury nor its editors had seen signs of AI use. Writers objected that a detector score is not conclusive proof of authorship. Whether AI was used is unestablished.

AI system
Pangram AI-text detector
Occurred
23 Oct 2026
Reported
23 October 2026
Event location
Spain
What the AI did
Made a claim about the person · Informed a human decision about the person
Reported harm
Reputational HarmProfessional Harm
Whose AI use
Someone else’s AI use
Setting
Work
Evidence
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution supported · 4 sources, 3 underlying accounts
6 claims: 6 reported. 4 open questions
People reported harmed
1 person

AI system as recorded: Pangram, an AI-text detection tool (version 4.1 per Infobae), used by El País to scan the winning novel; the alleged use of generative AI to write the novel is denied by the author, per the publisher

What Happened

The detector check. According to outlets relaying an El País investigation, El País ran the Pangram AI-text detector (version 4.1) over the roughly 26,000 words of the novel that won the first edition of the Almadía Ventosa-Arrufat International Short Novel Prize, and the detector scored 99% of the text as produced by an AI model (Infobae; El Español; El Universal). The prize was worth 20,000 euros and its rules expressly prohibited generative AI tools.

The publisher's response. El Español reports that El País passed its suspicions to the publisher. On Friday 23 October 2026 the Mexican publisher Almadía announced that it would carry out a detailed review without anticipating its conclusions and suspended all activities related to presenting the book, including a tour planned in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Cádiz (publisher statement in an agency copy; Infobae; El Universal).

Contrary evidence. The publisher said the author had declared in his contract that he did not use AI and confirmed this personally, that it had no reason to distrust his word, and that neither the jury nor the editorial team had noticed AI use while reading the novel. Writers quoted by El Universal said a detector score is not conclusive proof of authorship, and Infobae notes that Pangram is not infallible. Whether AI was used is unestablished, and the review's outcome is unknown.

Reported harm

A prize-winning author was publicly accused, on the strength of an AI-text detector score reported by El País, of submitting an AI-written novel; the publisher suspended the book's presentation activities, including a planned tour in Spain, pending its review (publisher statement; Infobae). The author denies using AI, per the publisher.

Outcome

Ongoing

The publisher said it would carry out a detailed review without anticipating conclusions and suspended all activities related to presenting the book while it does so (publisher statement, agency copy; El Universal). No finding had been announced by 24 October 2026.

What remains unknown

  • Whether generative AI was used to write the novel; the publisher reports the author's denial and has announced no finding.
  • The outcome of the publisher's review and whether the prize will be withdrawn or the work disqualified under the prize rules.
  • El Pais's own article was not read (HTTP 403); its method and full results are known through other outlets' accounts.
  • Any statement made directly by the author, and any personal or financial effect on him beyond the accusation and the suspended presentations.

What the evidence supports

AI involvement: reported. The output: El Pais ran the Pangram AI-text detector over the roughly 26,000-word winning novel and the detector scored 99% of it as produced by an AI model (c1; Infobae, El Espanol, El Universal). That score is a claim about the author's text (made_claim_about). The human use: El Pais passed its suspicions to the publisher, which announced a detailed review after the reports attributing 99% of the text to generative AI (c2). The consequence: the publisher suspended all presentation activities, including a tour in Spain, while it reviews the case (c3) (informed_decision_about). Whether AI was actually used is unestablished: the publisher says the author declared in his contract and personally that he did not use it (c5), and writers dispute that a detector score proves authorship (c6).

6 claims: 6 reported. What the statuses mean

Reported El Pais checked the novel that won the first Almadia Ventosa-Arrufat short-novel prize with the Pangram AI-text detector (version 4.1); the detector processed about 26,000 words and scored 99% of the text as produced by an AI model.

Causal attribution. One origin: the El Pais investigation and its Pangram scan, relayed by Infobae, El Espanol and El Universal. El Pais was not read (HTTP 403). The detector score is a claim about the text; whether AI was used is unestablished.

  • infobae.com(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'La herramienta, en su versión 4.1, procesó las aproximadamente 26.000 palabras que componen la novela y concluyó que el 99% del contenido fue producido por un modelo de inteligencia artificial.'
  • elespanol.com(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'Una investigación realizada por el medio El País ha concluido que la novela Donde el agua trabaja, ganadora de la primera edición del Premio Internacional de Novela Breve Almadía Ventosa-Arrufat, fue escrita en un 99 % con Inteligencia Artificial.'; 'La comprobación se ha llevado a cabo con Pangram'
  • eluniversal.com.mx(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'según un reportaje del periódico El País, para el que se usó la Inteligencia Artificial Pangram para determinarlo'
Reported El Pais passed its suspicions to the publisher, and the publisher announced a detailed review of the winning novel after the reports attributing 99% of its text to generative AI.

Causal attribution. El Espanol's account of El Pais's contact with the publisher and the agency report of the publisher's announcement. The publisher's statement as quoted does not itself name the detector.

Reported On Friday 23 October 2026 the publisher suspended all activities related to presenting the book while it carries out the review, including the presentation tour planned in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Cadiz.

Causal attribution. The publisher's statement (one origin), quoted by the agency copy and El Universal; the tour cities are Infobae's. The Friday is 23 October (Infobae published that day; La Vanguardia's 24 October copy says "este viernes").

  • lavanguardia.com(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'Mientras la llevamos a cabo, suspendemos todas las actividades relacionadas con la presentación del libro'
  • infobae.com(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'La Editorial Almadía suspendió este viernes todos los actos de presentación previstos en España, incluida la gira programada por Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla y Cádiz.'
  • eluniversal.com.mx(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'La editorial Almadía anunció ayer que suspenderá las presentaciones del libro'
Reported The prize, worth 20,000 euros, was awarded in its first edition, and its rules expressly prohibited the use of generative AI tools to write the entries.

Causal attribution. Context from the agency copy and Infobae; the prize rules themselves were not read.

  • lavanguardia.com(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'El autor resultó galardonado con 20.000 euros en esta primera edición del Premio Internacional de Novela Breve Almadía-Ventosa Arrufat, un certamen cuyas bases prohibían expresamente el uso de herramientas de IA generativa en la escritura.'
  • infobae.com(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'recibió en julio de 2026 un galardón dotado con 20 mil euros cuyas bases prohibían de forma explícita el uso de herramientas de inteligencia artificial.'
Reported The publisher said the author had signed a contractual declaration that he did not use AI and had confirmed this personally, that it had no grounds to distrust his word, and that neither the jury nor the editorial team thought generative AI had been used when reading the novel.

Causal attribution. The publisher's statement as quoted in the agency copy. No direct statement by the author was read.

  • lavanguardia.com(opens in new tab) supports · Spanish
    'el autor de la obra firmó bajo contrato no haber recurrido a este tipo de tecnología y que así lo confirmó de manera personal'; '“No tenemos elementos para desconfiar de su palabra”'; '“Durante la lectura de la novela, ni al jurado ni al equipo editorial nos pareció que se hubiera usado IA generativa”'
Reported Writers questioned whether a detector score can establish authorship, and Infobae notes that Pangram is not infallible.

Causal attribution. Contrary evidence: a writer's post quoted by El Universal and Infobae's own assessment. Infobae also relays the vendor's false-positive figure (not adopted here).

Sources

4 sources inspected, from 3 underlying accounts. Sources that repeat one account do not corroborate each other.

How the sources were read, and where the events happened

Read in Spanish and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-25 (HTTP 200). La Vanguardia agency copy (credited "LV Agencias", 24 October 2026) quoting the publisher's statement; it also relays the Pangram figure. Applies to s1.

Read in Spanish and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-25 (HTTP 200). Infobae Cultura, 23 October 2026; its account of the Pangram scan and the cancelled tour matches the El Pais investigation that other outlets credit (El Pais itself returned HTTP 403), so it is grouped with that investigation. Applies to s2.

Read in Spanish and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-25 (HTTP 200). El Universal (Mexico), 24 October 2026: writers' reactions on social media and the publisher's announcement; it credits the Pangram finding to El Pais. Applies to s3.

Read in Spanish and translated by the research agent (an AI) on 2026-10-25 (HTTP 200). El Espanol (El Cultural), 23 October 2026; relays the El Pais investigation and says El Pais passed its suspicions to the publisher, so it shares that investigation's group. Applies to s4.

Event countries: Spain. Affected-person countries: Unknown. Court countries: Unknown.

The suspended presentation tour was scheduled in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Cadiz (Infobae), so Spain is recorded as the place of the cancelled events. Where the publisher took its decision and where the author lives are not stated; the publisher being Mexican and the author Peruvian are not used to locate the event.

Reviewed for publication 2026-10-25: Published as a contextual case: an AI-text detector's score about a prize-winning novel was reported by a newspaper and passed to the publisher, which suspended the book's presentations pending a review (agency copy of the publisher's statement; Infobae; El Espanol; El Universal). AI authorship is unproven; the author's reported denial and writers' objections to detector evidence are recorded. Low severity; the author is not named.

People described

The Peruvian writer who won the first Almadía Ventosa-Arrufat short-novel prize (not named here), whose novel was flagged by the detector and whose presentations were suspended pending review

People reported harmed in this case

1 person

0 AI participants · 1 other person harmed

One person: the prize-winning author whose novel was flagged and whose presentations were suspended (publisher statement; Infobae). Jury members, readers and writers commenting online are not counted.

Counted once within this case. The same person may appear in other cases. This count does not establish AI causation.

Tags

#ai-text-detector#pangram#literary-prize#ai-authorship-accusation#disputed

Cite this case

Compiled per our published methodology: verification statuses, sourcing standards, and corrections process.

APA

NOPE. (2026). Publisher suspends presentations of its prize-winning novel for review after an El País Pangram check reported 99% AI text; it says the author denies AI use. AI incidents. https://nope.net/incidents/2026-almadia-ventosa-arrufat-prize-novel-presentations-suspended-after-pangram-ai-detector-check

BibTeX

@misc{2026_almadia_ventosa_arrufat_prize_novel_presentations_suspended_after_pangram_ai_detector_check,
  title = {Publisher suspends presentations of its prize-winning novel for review after an El País Pangram check reported 99\% AI text; it says the author denies AI use},
  author = {NOPE},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {AI incidents},
  url = {https://nope.net/incidents/2026-almadia-ventosa-arrufat-prize-novel-presentations-suspended-after-pangram-ai-detector-check}
}

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