Commonwealth Prize Clears Winners of AI Writing Allegations
After a thorough month-long investigation, the Commonwealth Foundation rejected claims that the winning submissions for its 2024 Short Story Prize were produced by AI, asserting that "AI wasn't used." The issue surfaced in May, initially focusing on Jamir Nazir's The Serpent in the Grove, and later involving John Edward DeMicoli's The Bastion's Shadow and Sharon Aruparayil's Mehendi Nights. Razmi Farook, the director general, mentioned that while drafts and notes were examined, AI detection tools were not utilized due to concerns about artistic ownership. While social media users labeled Nazir's work as "100 percent" AI-generated, GPTZero classified it as "entirely human." The foundation is considering implementing AI checkers for literary awards. Granta revealed plans to terminate external publishing collaborations. The overall winner will be revealed on 30 June.
Key facts
- Commonwealth Foundation cleared winners of AI allegations after month-long review
- Allegations first raised over Jamir Nazir's story 'The Serpent in the Grove'
- Also questioned: 'The Bastion's Shadow' by John Edward DeMicoli and 'Mehendi Nights' by Sharon Aruparayil
- Foundation did not use AI detection tools due to concerns about artistic ownership
- Different AI detectors gave conflicting results: Pangram/Grammarly flagged as AI, GPTZero as human, QuillBot as zero likelihood
- Director general Razmi Farook said review included examining drafts and time-stamped documents
- Granta ended external publishing partnerships after the controversy
- Overall winner to be announced on 30 June
Entities
Artists
- Jamir Nazir
- John Edward DeMicoli
- Sharon Aruparayil
Institutions
- Commonwealth Foundation
- Granta
- Pangram
- Grammarly
- GPTZero
- QuillBot
- The Independent
- The Guardian
Locations
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Malta
- India