An award-winning short story's use of AI has sparked accusations of 'literary slop,' raising questions about the future of AI in creative writing and potential shifts in reading culture. The controversy centers on a story submitted to the Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

One of the winners of this year's prestigious Commonwealth Short Story Prize has been accused of using artificial intelligence to write his short story "Serpent in the Grove". Does the controversy signal a new era of AI "literary slop" – or merely a crisis in reading?