Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Steyn Kundizeza has denied using generative artificial intelligence to write “The Blue Fighter,” the short story that won the Caine Prize on October 6. He said the story was entirely his own work. The prize organizers are reviewing an allegation based on an AI-detection tool, and no conclusion had been reported as of October 14.
Detector result prompted scrutiny
The allegation followed an October 11 article by Atlantic writer Vauhini Vara, who reported that the Pangram detection tool flagged nearly all of “The Blue Fighter” as AI-generated. The exception was an epigraph attributed to poet Vangile Gantsho. That reported result is an allegation, not a determination that Kundizeza used AI.
The distinction remains central to the dispute. The available reporting says the detector flagged the text, while Kundizeza denies using AI. Neither the detector result described in the reporting nor the author’s denial independently establishes how the story was written.
Prize organizers review the claim
The Caine Prize said it was reviewing the allegation and would take a “human centred” approach. Chair Ellah Wakatama criticized treating an AI detector as a final arbiter and questioned the process behind making the claim public. The review was still underway in reports published October 14.
The Associated Press also reported on October 14 that Kundizeza denied using AI and that the prize was reviewing the case. Its account, like the Guardian’s, describes an unresolved dispute rather than a finding about the story’s authorship.
“The Blue Fighter” is published under Kundizeza’s name by The Shallow Tales Review. In a December 2025 interview with the journal, he discussed the story’s inspiration and drafting process. That earlier account provides context about his work, but it does not independently settle the current allegation.