The Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Kundizeza has firmly denied allegations that he used artificial intelligence to write his prize-winning short story, The Blue Fighter. This denial comes shortly after an article in The Atlantic claimed that AI-detection software flagged his work as predominantly AI-generated.
Background
The Blue Fighter was announced as the winner of the prestigious Caine Prize for African Writers on October 6. Just five days later, journalist Vauhini Vara published an article titled "Yet Another Literary Prize Winner Seems to Be AI," in which she stated that she had analyzed Kundizeza's story using the AI-detection tool Pangram. According to Vara, the software indicated that the story was almost entirely generated by AI, with the exception of an epigraph from an unpublished poem by South African writer Vangile Gantsho.
Vara noted that she was struck by the characteristics of AI-generated writing, mentioning:
“"The not x, but y sentence constructions; the glut of metaphors; the platitudinous aphorisms."
She further commented on the quality of the story, stating:
“"Taste is subjective, but trust me, this story is bad – maudlin and full of tired tropes."
Kundizeza's Response
In response to the allegations, Kundizeza took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify:
“"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."
