Beat My AI: Short Fiction: Contender (excerpt)

Overview
Beat My AI operates as a literary magazine with a distinct curatorial premise: it publishes 'Originals' that contain clearly marked AI-generated sections, then invites human writers to submit a 'Contender'—a story excerpt that replaces the AI part while matching the human-made portion in length, style, and content. This is not a conventional fiction prize or anthology call. It is a targeted, comparative exercise in literary craft, where the submission is judged not in isolation but against a specific AI counterpart already in the public record. The platform's institutional scope is narrow but deliberate. It does not seek standalone short stories or general submissions. Instead, it asks writers to enter into a dialogue with a published text, to read closely, and to produce a substitute passage that is seamless with the existing human-authored work. The reward is not a cash prize or publication in a print issue, but the opportunity to have one's writing placed in direct juxtaposition with an AI's output—a form of visibility that is both critical and performative. Because the call is rolling and fee-free, there is no external deadline pressure or financial barrier. The curatorial vision is one of ongoing, open-ended contestation: each Original remains a live site for human response. Writers are invited to treat the published AI sections as prompts, not as adversaries, and to demonstrate that human craft can inhabit, extend, or subtly subvert the established narrative voice.