AI controversy swirls around writer from Trinidad and Tobago who won a prestigious prize

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — A prize-winning Caribbean writer from Trinidad and Tobago is embroiled in the latest controversy involving the use of AI for a creative work, after allegations that artificial intelligence was used to write a short story.

The case went viral after the publisher issued a statement saying it asked Claude, an AI chatbot, whether artificial intelligence was used to create “The Serpent in the Grove” by Jamir Nazir.

He was one of five writers who on May 14 were declared regional winners of the prestigious 2026 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, awarded by the London-based Commonwealth Foundation. The final winner will be announced in June.

One judge described Nazir’s language as “sublime — precise yet richly evocative — conjuring vivid, lush imagery with remarkable economy.”

But people quickly began questioning whether his story and others were written by or with help from artificial intelligence.

The scrutiny intensified after the publisher, Granta, said in a statement that it asked Claude whether the short story was generated by AI, adding that Claude concluded in a lengthy response that it was “almost certainly not produced unaided by a human.”

The story that is set in rural Trinidad and focuses on a magical grove remains on the website of the Commonwealth Foundation.

“It may be that the judges have now awarded a prize to an instance of AI plagiarism — we don’t yet know, and perhaps we never will know,” Sigrid Rausing, publisher of Granta magazine and books, wrote in a statement shared with The Associated Press on Friday.

“There is, however, a certain irony in the fact that beyond human hunches AI itself is the most efficient tool we have for revealing what is AI generated,” Rausing added.

She noted that the story will remain on the website until the Commonwealth Foundation “comes to a definite conclusion.”

Meanwhile, Granta issued its own statement, saying it is “alarmed by the speculation” and noted that Granta editors were not involved with the stories or their selection beyond copy editing them.

Nazir could not be reached for comment, and the publisher did not share his contact information despite repeated requests.

The silence is a departure from other authors who have spoken publicly after being accused of using artificial intelligence.

The debate surrounding the short story comes just months after the Hachette Book Group canceled an upcoming horror novel following allegations that its author used artificial intelligence to write it.

On Friday, Razmi Farook, director-general of the Commonwealth Foundation, issued a statement saying it was taking seriously the allegations of AI use against several of the writers who won this year’s prize.

“Through a full review, we will make sure that the appropriate steps are taken to make sure that our judging process is able to meet the growing threat that AI poses to creativity,” Farook wrote.

He added: “We understand that the use of AI is the single biggest issue facing much of the creative world, and while we welcome constructive debate surrounding this complicated and nuanced matter, we are deeply concerned by the tone of much of the discourse surrounding it.”

The world, however, continues to weigh in online. Some dissected descriptions in the prize-winning story, including “the roof talks back in a dry moan” and the “air clung thick as porridge skin.”

On Facebook, a page belonging to a person named Jamir Nazir is peppered with poems and reflections. The latest post on that page is a repost of the foundation declaring Nazir a winner.

But Nazir, who has a book titled “Night Moon Love: Poems For All Those Who Have Loved Or Dreamed Of Love” for sale on Amazon, barely has an online presence.

People who keep scrutinizing the case have noted that the picture on his supposed Facebook page does not match his picture on the Commonwealth Foundation’s website.

In a blurb under his author's bio on the foundation's website, Nazir wrote, “‘I hope readers walk away reflecting on the quiet consequences of choices we normalize. Beyond the story’s tension, it’s that deeper moral examination that I hope lingers.”

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico.