In a stunning development, an investigation has been launched into allegations that hundreds of books suspected of being generated using artificial intelligence (AI) were purchased for a public library in Tamil Nadu, southern India. The controversy erupted following concerns raised by Tamil novelist Perumal Murugan about books containing false information and questionable authorship at a newly opened library in Coimbatore city. The Madras High Court has ordered the state's anti-corruption agency to investigate the purchases and freeze bank accounts linked to a publisher accused of supplying the books.
The controversy centers around the Periyar Arivulagam library, built at a cost of approximately 3 billion rupees ($34 million; £26 million). The library, named after social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy, was inaugurated on October 16 by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay. Murugan, whose novels Pyre and One Part Woman have received international recognition, raised concerns after visiting the library last month. He alleged that nearly 1,800 books in its Tamil section had been supplied by a little-known publisher called Agal Vilakku Pathippagam.
Many of the books carry unfamiliar authors' names, unusually high prices, and questionable International Standard Book Numbers (ISBNs). One book cited in the controversy, Naladiyar Vaazhvin Vazhikatti (A Guide to Life through Naladiyar), was reportedly priced at 1,445 rupees for 300 pages. It describes Naladiyar as a Tamil poet and philosopher, although Naladiyar is a classical Tamil work consisting of 400 four-line verses on morality and ethics. Another book reportedly attributes the ancient Tamil poem Madurai Kanchi to an incorrect author. It remains unclear whether AI was used to produce any of the disputed books, but questions have also been raised about a book found at another public library in Madurai which names renowned economist Jean Drèze as its author.
The controversy has sparked a political row in Tamil Nadu, with the state government accusing the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party-led administration of ordering the disputed books. The DMK denies allegations and has called for an investigation into the purchases. School Education Minister A Rajmohan described the allegations as potentially "India's first AI scam" and said the investigation would cover purchases at other public libraries across the state. More than 160 writers, academics, artists, and publishers have signed a joint statement calling for an independent inquiry, the release of procurement records, and an audit of library collections across Tamil Nadu. They have also called for the recovery of public money if the investigation finds that funds were misused.