Did AI write ‘Shy Girl’? A messy detection controversy rocks the world of book publishing

A new drama has taken the book publishing world by storm: The upcoming U.S. release of the horror book Shy Girl was canceled by publisher Hachette Book Group just weeks ahead of its release due to suspicion of AI use in its making. Authored by U.S. poet and fiction writer Mia Ballard, Shy Girl is a novel described as focusing on the life of a girl with severe obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) who agrees to be held captive as an affluent man’s pet in order to rid herself from financial woes. The book was first self-published early last year, with another version released in November by Hachette’s U.K. imprint Wildfire. Hachette confirmed the cancellation to the New York Times, which first reported on the story. While the self-published version of the book initially received positive reviews, its recent version has drawn speculation online regarding the novel’s writing. In a Reddit thread from two months ago, one user dissected the common syntax of large language mode