AI novel that won literature contest has awards taken away

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A novel created with the help of artificial intelligence, which recently won a major Japanese literary prize, will no longer be considered for future awards. This is because the contest recently updated its rules to prohibit the use of AI in submissions.

The novel won both the top prize and the reader’s favorite award in a competition hosted by the Japanese publisher, AlphaPolis, according to Automaton.

The book was originally going to be published as a physical copy and adapted into a manga, but the publisher cancelled both plans after discovering it was mostly written by artificial intelligence.

Although the book was originally recognized as a prize winner, the publisher has stated it violates new contest guidelines that don’t allow entries created using artificial intelligence.

AI novel has awards taken away

Okay, so the author’s taking the news of the cancelled publication and manga adaptation surprisingly well! They’ve actually said it feels… liberating? Like a fresh start. They’re really excited to keep making stuff that feels uniquely created with AI, stuff you couldn’t imagine being made any other way. It’s cool to see them embrace the possibilities instead of being bummed about the cancellation.

With AI tools getting better and better, it’s getting harder for publishers and contest holders to decide how much help from AI is allowed – and even harder to tell if someone has crossed the line.

Okay, so I’ve been hearing a lot about how AI is changing things in Japan’s entertainment scene, and it’s kinda wild. It’s not just about the games themselves, though. They’re using AI to fight piracy of manga and anime, which makes sense. But it’s also impacting how game studios hire artists! Apparently, they’re asking artists to draw live during interviews now, just to prove it’s actually a person creating the art and not AI. It’s a bit of a weird situation, but it shows how seriously they’re taking this AI thing.

Even with limitations, content created by AI is proving to be commercially viable. For example, we reported on January 6, 2026, that an AI-created manga reached the top of the charts on a major Japanese e-book platform.

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2026-01-08 15:50