Zimbabwean author Simbarashe Kundizeza has refuted allegations that artificial intelligence was used to create his short story, “The Blue Fighter.” The story recently won the prestigious Caine prize for African writers on 6 October. These claims surfaced in an article published by The Atlantic, authored by Vauhini Vara, which suggested the story was almost entirely AI-generated based on software analysis. The Atlantic’s article, titled “Yet Another Literary prize winner Seems to Be AI,” sparked debate about the increasing potential for AI in creative writing. Kundizeza has not yet publicly detailed his writing process in response to these accusations. The controversy casts a spotlight on the evolving challenges of verifying authorship in the digital age and raises questions about the future of literary awards.