Author Shocked as Festival Judges Blame AI for Her Heartfelt Novel

Romy Wood, a Welsh learner from Cardiff, entered her novel Y Dderwen into the National Eisteddfod, one of Wales's most important writing competitions. She used the pseudonym Lithedora, as all contestants do to keep their identities secret. Romy was excited to share her personal story, which is based on her family history. However, when the judges reviewed her novel, they accused her of using Artificial Intelligence to write it. They said it was 'disgraceful' for someone to use AI in such a prestigious contest, but Romy strongly denied this accusation.

During the ceremony, judge Meinir Wyn Edwards criticized Romy's novel, saying it lacked a clear plan and was difficult to read. She even suggested that an AI machine had written the book and that the author had not bothered to check the work. The judges placed Romy's novel at the bottom of the list. Romy was devastated when she watched the broadcast on S4C, which included a minute of insults, sarcasm, and laughter. She felt personally attacked and upset, especially since she was nervous about sharing her work in Welsh for the first time. Romy said, 'It's very personal. I've written for a long time. I've never written in Welsh before. '

After the event, Romy wrote a letter to the National Eisteddfod, asking if it was acceptable to mock and laugh at contestants in public, especially during a televised broadcast. She has not received a response yet. Romy also called for more respect for all competitors, saying that sarcasm and rudeness should not be part of such an important institution. The National Eisteddfod explained that they have a process where entrants confirm they have not used AI, but there is no automatic system to check for AI or plagiarism. Since Romy's entry was not placed in the higher category, it was not checked for AI. The organization said it values respectful and constructive feedback and wants all participants to feel welcome. The judges later apologized for causing distress and said they were unanimous in their belief that the work was created by AI. They also congratulated Rebecca Thomas, who won the prize for her novel Ynys Gwales. The National Eisteddfod is a festival that celebrates Welsh language, music, literature, and arts, and it aims to support new writers and learners.