Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Steyn Kundizeza has publicly rejected allegations that his Caine Prize-winning short story, “The Blue Fighter,” was generated using artificial intelligence, insisting that the work is entirely his own. His statement, published on X on October 13, follows an article by The Atlantic journalist Vauhini Vara, which reported that the AI-detection tool Pangram had flagged much of the story as AI-generated and questioned the differences between it and Kundizeza’s earlier fiction. Rather than allow the accusation to stand as a verdict, Kundizeza has offered a detailed account of the story’s development, declaring that he does not believe the article warrants a defence but that he owes the public, his supporters and fellow Caine Prize finalists a clear response. His position is unambiguous: he wrote the story, and he did not use generative AI.
Kundizeza traced the story’s origins to his participation in the LOATAD Black Atlantic Residency in Ghana, where he read “my father’s hands,” a poem by vangile gantsho that inspired him to write about his family’s experiences in Zimbabwe. He provided a chronology of the manuscript’s development, stating that he sent the first draft to gantsho on May 15, 2025, submitted it to The Shallow Tales Review on May 27, and received acceptance from fiction editor Nzube Nlebedim on June 10. Feedback from both gantsho and Nlebedim followed in June, before the story was published on June 30, 2025. He also challenged the suggestion that stylistic differences between “The Blue Fighter” and his earlier story “The Whistleblower” indicate AI use, arguing that the works address different subjects and that writers are capable of developing their craft and moving between genres. He further noted that the story was not commissioned or paid for, and that its submission for the Caine Prize was the editor’s decision, made months after publication.
However, this case also belongs to a troubling pattern in contemporary literary culture. In 2026, writers associated with the Commonwealth Short Story Prize faced similar accusations, prompting the Commonwealth Foundation to investigate and ultimately reaffirm its confidence in its winners, noting that AI-detection tools are not infallible. In September, Haitian-Canadian novelist Thélyson Orélien’s book was removed from the Prix Goncourt longlist following AI allegations he denied.
Nigerian debut novelist Jerry Falade also reportedly lost a two-book deal worth over $2 million with Minotaur Books after allegations that his manuscript, Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body, had been written using AI; claims which he denied. These cases expose a growing climate in which literary achievement can be followed almost immediately by suspicion, with writers expected to prove their humanity alongside their talent. When that scrutiny falls disproportionately or without adequate evidence on Black writers and writers of colour, it risks becoming a form of literary witch-hunting.
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