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 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 AI 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 AI.
The Commonwealth Short Story Prize takes the allegations of AI use in the 2026 Prize seriously. Looking ahead, we are committed to reviewing our processes to better consider the rapidly evolving risk of AI. We recognise the upset felt by our community, and reiterate our support…
— Commonwealth Foundation Creatives (@cwfcreatives) May 22, 2026
The scrutiny intensified after the publisher, Granta, said in a statement it asked Anthropic chatbot Claude whether the short story was generated by AI, adding Claude concluded in a lengthy response it was "almost certainly not produced unaided by a human".
The story, set in rural Trinidad and focused on a magical grove, remains on the Commonwealth Foundation website.
"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, said in a statement.
"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 said.
She noted the story would remain on the website until the Commonwealth Foundation "comes to a definite conclusion".
Granta issued a statement saying it was "alarmed by the speculation" and noted 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.
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 cancelled an upcoming horror novel following allegations its author used artificial intelligence to write it.
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 said.
"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."
