Zimbabwean Author Denies Using AI to Write Award-Winning Story

Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Kundizeza has denied allegations that artificial intelligence was used to write his award-winning story, The Blue Fighter, which won the 2026 Caine Prize for African Writing.

The controversy followed a report by The Atlantic, which cited an AI-detection tool that reportedly classified the story as entirely AI-generated. Kundizeza has rejected the claim, explaining that the story was inspired by a poem he encountered at an event in Ghana and experiences within his family.

Caine Prize chair Ellah Wakatama criticised the publication for releasing its report before a full investigation had been completed. The controversy has also renewed questions about the reliability of AI-detection tools, which can produce inaccurate results.

The Caine Prize is conducting a review of the matter as debate continues over the role of artificial intelligence in creative writing.

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