- Zimbabwean author Simba Kundizeza publicly denied allegations that he used generative AI to write his Caine Prize-winning story 'The Blue Fighter'
- Kundizeza shared a detailed timeline showing the story's development from a residency in Ghana in 2025 to its publication on June 30, 2025
- The Atlantic published an article questioning the story's authorship by comparing its style to Kundizeza's earlier writing
Zimbabwean author Simba Kundizeza has firmly rejected claims that he used artificial intelligence to write "The Blue Fighter," the story that earned him recognition at the Caine Prize, calling the allegations unwarranted and laying out a detailed creative history of the piece.
Source: Twitter
In a statement posted on X, Kundizeza addressed the controversy sparked by an article in The Atlantic, which questioned whether the story was truly his own work.
He was clear from the outset: "I wrote 'The Blue Fighter.' I did not use generative AI to write it. It is entirely my own work."
How "The Blue Fighter" Came to Life
The author traced the story's origins to his time at the LOATAD Black Atlantic Residency in Ghana, where he encountered a poem by Vangile Gantsho titled "my father's hands."
That poem moved him to write about his own family's experiences in Zimbabwe, including his father's departure from an accounting career and the hardships that followed. Characters and settings in the story are drawn from events in his own life.
He also outlined a precise editorial timeline. A completed first draft was sent to Vangile for feedback on May 15, 2025. Kundizeza submitted the piece to The Shallow Tales Review on May 27, 2025, and fiction editor Nzube Nlebedim accepted it on June 10, 2025.
Both Vangile and Nlebedim provided editorial feedback on June 25, 2025. A final draft followed on June 27, 2025, and the story was published on June 30, 2025. The decision to enter the piece for the Caine Prize was made by the editor of The Shallow Tales Review, months after publication and without any guarantee from Kundizeza's side.
Why the AI Accusation Does Not Hold Up
Kundizeza pushed back firmly against the suggestion that a shift in writing style points to AI involvement. His earlier work, including his debut novel "Freelance" and a 2021 thriller titled "The Whistleblower" published in Transition Magazine, operated in the realm of political intrigue. "The Blue Fighter," by contrast, is a story about economic collapse and family.
He argued that attributing stylistic growth and range to artificial intelligence fundamentally misreads how writers develop over time.
He also challenged the supposed motive. He was not commissioned to write the story, received no payment for its publication, and had no prior knowledge that it would be submitted to any prize.
"The idea that I would have somehow written the story with the express intention of entering and winning the Caine Prize, despite the inherently competitive and uncertain nature of the prize, conjures up a motive that simply did not exist," he wrote.
Kundizeza closed his statement by expressing gratitude to Vangile, The Shallow Tales Review, the Caine Prize judges, and his representatives at Serendipity Literary Agency. He ended with a commitment that speaks for itself:
"I will continue to write."
Grade 7 Students' AI Training
In other news, TUKO also highlighted facts about Tatu City’s After-School Artificial Intelligence Program, which has trained 100 Grade 7 and 8 learners this year and 120 since it began in October 2025.
The initiative has grown from 20 learners to 100 in a year, with Tatu City aiming to reach 1,000 young people as it develops into a major data and technology hub in East Africa.
Source: TUKO.co.ke