Brittle Paper reports that journalist Vauhini Vara's article, "Yet Another Literary Prizewinner Seems to Be AI," rests centrally on a scan by Pangram, an AI-detection tool, which flagged almost the entirety of "The Blue Fighter" as AI-generated — with the epigraph a notable exception.

According to Brittle Paper, Vara noted that Pangram rated all 25 previous Caine Prize-winning stories, plus Kundizeza's 2021 story "The Whistleblower," as fully human-written, and pointed to stylistic hallmarks she sees as chatbot-like, including "not x, but y" constructions and a glut of metaphors.

The article itself acknowledged that AI detection is fallible, and Vara closed by saying she may well be wrong.

Brittle Paper gathered responses from African writers and journalists, all critical of the article.

Wale Lawal of Lagos-based The Republic called it "crazy, racist and wildly unethical," while journalist Karen Attiah wrote it was "chilling" to see Black and African writers become "the global face of AI use" on the basis of a Pangram scan.

Novelist Aiwanose Odafen called it "a very irresponsible article," and poet Romeo Oriogun framed the accusation as the latest form of a long Western suspicion of African literature.

Zimbabwean novelist Sue Nyathi and former Caine shortlistee Elnathan John both rejected the style-change argument, with John writing that "you cannot be a slave to style."

Ellah Wakatama, who chairs the Caine Prize's board of trustees, told Vara that AI-generated fiction is not eligible for the prize and that an investigation began as soon as she learned of the inquiry.

According to Brittle Paper, Wakatama rejected using an AI detector as evidence, saying any accusation must offer proof that "does not come from a machine."

She also pointed to details in the story she considers distinctly Zimbabwean, saying she does not believe AI models are capable of that cultural nuance. As the conversation ended, Wakatama told Vara, "I am fervently praying that you're wrong."

Both outlets situate this in a broader pattern: Streamline Feed notes the award followed a ceremony in London on October 6, 2026, and that the controversy has sparked debate over the reliability of automated detection tools against non-Western literary voices.

Brittle Paper draws parallels to the Haitian-Canadian novelist Thélyson Orélien, removed from the Prix Goncourt longlist over AI claims he denies, and to the Commonwealth Foundation's June review, which cleared all flagged regional winners, saying detection tools cannot provide conclusive evidence alone.

The Caine Prize says it is taking a "human centred approach" and will post updates on its website; at the time of writing, the award has not been withdrawn.