By Natalie Wall
Publication Date: 2026-04-01 16:05:00
One of the largest book publishers in the US has pulled an upcoming horror novel from publication scheduled for this year after allegations that the author used artificial intelligence to write it.
Hachette Book Group was contacted by The New York Times and claimed evidence that Mia Ballard’s “Shy Girl” was supposedly AI-generated. The publisher then announced that its imprint, Orbit, was withdrawing the book from publication in the US and UK.
The novel is about Gia, a young woman who is “lonely, broke, depressed, and suffering from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.” She meets a mysterious and rich man who promises to pay off all her debts in return for her living as his devoted pet. The novel follows her time in captivity as she becomes more and more animalistic.
In an email to The New York Times, Ballard said the controversy has “changed my life in many ways and my mental health is at an all-time low.” Ballard has denied personally using AI to write the novel. But…
