The writing assistant pulled its controversial feature that claimed edit suggestions were 'inspired by' real writers without their permission.
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Grammarly has disabled its AI-powered "Expert Review" feature following criticism that it used real writers' names and expertise without permission. The feature claimed its edit suggestions were "inspired by" journalists and other professionals, including staff from The Verge, but provided no actual involvement from these experts. Company director Ailian Gan apologized, saying they "clearly missed the mark" on implementation.
The controversy highlights growing concerns about AI companies using individuals' professional identities and expertise to enhance their products without consent. As AI writing tools become more sophisticated, questions around attribution, compensation, and permission for using human expertise in training data have become increasingly contentious across the tech industry.
Grammarly indicated it will redesign the feature to give experts "real control over how they want to be represented - or not represented at all." The company has not specified when or if a revised version will return. Other major AI companies have faced similar scrutiny over training data and attribution practices in recent months.
The incident could prompt broader industry discussions about ethical AI development and the rights of professionals whose work is used to train or inspire AI systems. Writing professionals and journalists may push for clearer consent mechanisms and compensation structures as AI tools increasingly mimic human expertise.