Zimbabwean Writer Denies Using AI to Write Caine Prize-Winning Story
Zimbabwean author Simbarashe Kundizeza has firmly denied claims that he used artificial intelligence to write his short story “The Blue Fighter,” which won the 2026 Caine Prize for African Writing.
The £10,000 award was announced earlier this month. Days later, an article in The Atlantic by journalist Vauhini Vara reported that AI-detection software Pangram classified nearly the entire story as AI-generated.
The piece also noted stylistic differences between “The Blue Fighter” and Kundizeza’s earlier work.
In a statement posted on X, Kundizeza said: “For the avoidance of doubt, I wrote ‘The Blue Fighter.’ I did not use generative AI to write it. It is entirely my own work.”
He outlined a documented timeline for the story’s creation.
Kundizeza said the idea originated during a residency in Ghana, where he was inspired by a poem by South African writer Vangile Gantsho about her father’s interest in fish tanks.
He combined that inspiration with fictionalized elements drawn from his own family’s experiences during Zimbabwe’s economic difficulties around 2002.
He said he sent a completed first draft to Gantsho for feedback on 15 May 2025 and submitted the story to The Shallow Tales Review on 27 May 2025.
The Caine Prize has launched an investigation into the allegations. Prize director Ellah Wakatama said the organization takes such claims seriously and will examine them with a “human-centred approach.”
She noted that Caine Prize submissions, which must have been previously published, are not routinely screened for AI use; writers instead affirm that their work is original.
Wakatama has also expressed skepticism about relying solely on AI-detection tools.
Kundizeza’s literary agency has stated it is confident the story is his own work and that supporting evidence will be provided.
The controversy has drawn significant attention and criticism online, with some African writers and readers arguing that the allegations reflect bias or an inability to accept high-quality writing by a Black Zimbabwean author.
“The Blue Fighter” follows a boy named Tinashe whose family faces hardship after his father leaves a professional career to pursue building fish tanks.
The Caine Prize is one of the most prestigious awards for African short fiction.