Zimbabwean writer denies using AI to write prize-winning story

Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Kundizeza has denied using artificial intelligence (AI) to write his short story, The Blue Fighter, which won this year’s Caine Prize for African Writing.

Kundizeza issued a statement following allegations in The Atlantic that AI-detection software Pangram had flagged almost the entire story as AI-generated, apart from an excerpt of poetry.

The controversy emerged about a week after the writer received the £10 000 (approximately R219 200 or $13 000) prize, bringing renewed attention to the authorship of the story, which explores a boy’s experiences as his family faces economic hardship.

Kundizeza said he wanted to set the record straight amid the public interest generated by the allegations.

“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 said.

Zimbabwean writer explains story’s origins

Kundizeza said the story had a documented history stretching back to his participation in the LOATAD Black Atlantic Residency in Ghana.

He explained that a poem by vangile gantsho, titled my father’s hands, inspired him to write about his family’s experiences in Zimbabwe, including his father’s departure from the accounting profession and the resulting financial difficulties.

Other characters and elements of the setting, he said, were drawn from events in his own life.

The writer also provided a timeline of the story’s development to support his account of its creation.

According to his statement, he sent the first completed draft to gantsho for feedback on 15 May 2025 before submitting it to The Shallow Tales Review on 27 May.

Fiction editor Nzube Nlebedim accepted the story on 10 June, after which it underwent the publication’s editorial process. Kundizeza said he received feedback from both gantsho and Nlebedim on 25 June.

He submitted the final draft on 27 June, and the story was published on 30 June 2025.

The writer challenges questions about his writing style

The Zimbabwean writer also challenged the suggestion that differences between The Blue Fighter and his earlier work raised questions about its authorship.

He pointed to his debut novel, Freelance, and his 2021 story The Whistleblower, published in Transition Magazine, describing them as political thrillers.

In contrast, he said The Blue Fighter was a deeply personal account of economic collapse and family relationships.

Kundizeza argued that writers could develop their skills and adopt different styles depending on the subjects they explored.

He also questioned the suggestion that he had a financial or professional motive to use AI, saying he was neither commissioned to write the story nor paid for its publication.

He added that the decision to submit it for the Caine Prize was made by the publication’s editor months after it appeared.

Zimbabwean writer vows to continue writing

Despite the controversy, Kundizeza thanked gantsho for the inspiration, The Shallow Tales Review for publishing his work, and the Caine Prize judges for recognising the story.

He also acknowledged messages of support from fellow writers and readers.