The Caine Prize for African Writing cleared Zimbabwean author Simbarashe Kundizeza of AI-writing allegations and confirmed his award for “The Blue Fighter.”
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The Caine Prize for African Writing has cleared Zimbabwean author Simbarashe Kundizeza of allegations that artificial intelligence was used to write this year’s award-winning story, and it said the decision to uphold his win is final.
Kundizeza said Thursday that he felt “relieved” after the allegations raised in an article by The Atlantic magazine were dismissed. He added: “It was not necessary in the first place, I am happy to put all this behind me and continue with my writing journey.”
The allegations sparked debate on social media, with some users questioning whether Black authors are being unfairly targeted by AI-related accusations.
The prize said Wednesday that it considered “the matter closed” after an internal review that included “rigorous” interviews with Kundizeza and metadata analysis of drafts. Ellah Wakatama, the chair of the Caine Prize, said: “We feel the evidence is clear and have made the decision that Simbarashe’s award stands,” adding, “We look forward to awarding as well as celebrating with Simbarashe in Zimbabwe before the end of the year.”
Kundizeza’s “The Blue Fighter” won this year’s $10,000 Caine Prize for African Writing in October.
A report from The Atlantic had claimed that an AI detection tool called Pangram indicated the entire story was AI-generated, except for an excerpt from a poem by another author. Kundizeza denied the allegations, saying the story—focused on family relationships and economic hardship—was entirely his own work and reflected his family’s life during Zimbabwe’s years of economic turmoil. He described it as “a deeply personal story about economic collapse and familial relationships.”
Along with upholding the award, the Caine Prize announced new measures meant to strengthen safeguards against generative AI in submissions. Those steps include AI declarations from publishers submitting stories and from all shortlisted writers, as well as an “AI use policy for guidance.”
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