Mallorca prize chief warns AI could stop us thinking

Mallorca’s Cap de Formentor: the head of a literary prize warns that artificial intelligence (AI) could lead people to stop writing, thinking and even feeling. Basilio Baltasar, director of the Formentor Foundation and chair of the Formentor Prize jury, speaks as this year’s literary talks close on 3 November 2026. The 2026 prize goes to Portuguese writer Gonçalo M. Tavares.

Baltasar calls the prospect of people relying on machines to write for them “a tragedy, a threat and a danger”. AI has been a major subject at this year’s talks. He wants governments and parliaments to set limits on the technology.

A prize meant to bring writers to readers

Baltasar says the Formentor Prize aims to help a wide audience discover writers, not simply confirm the success of famous names. The jury spends months examining literary works before choosing a winner.

European publishers established the prize in 1961, and it returned in 2011. It awards 50,000 euros for an author’s body of work. Previous winners Annie Ernaux and László Krasznahorkai later received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Will the talks stay on Mallorca?

The prize and literary talks have returned this year to Cap de Formentor, where the gatherings began in the 1960s. Baltasar says he is glad to meet Mallorcan readers and book clubs there again, but cannot say whether future editions will take place at Formentor. “We would like that,” he says.

The event has moved between venues since 2021, including Seville, Gran Canaria and Madrid. This year’s talks also brought together publishers from several European countries. Baltasar says such meetings have led to translations, contracts and introductions to writers.

Topics: Culture

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com