Zimbabwean author denies using AI to write award-winning story

Simbarashe Kundizeza, a Zimbabwean writer, has denied using artificial intelligence (AI) to craft his short story, "The Blue Fighter," which won this year's Caine Prize for African Writing. This assertion came a week after the story's victory and an article in The Atlantic claimed AI-detection software Pangram had determined the entire piece was AI-generated.

In a post on X, Kundizeza wrote, "For the avoidance of doubt, I wrote The Blue Fighter." The accusation sparked controversy on social media and prompted Caine Prize chair Ellah Wakatama to express shock at The Atlantic's decision to publish the article without a thorough investigation. Wakatama urged The Atlantic to conduct a more in-depth investigation before tarnishing the prize and the winning author.