The writing assistant's Expert Review feature generated feedback attributed to real authors and academics, sparking legal challenges.
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Grammarly parent company Superhuman has disabled its Expert Review feature after widespread criticism over using real writers' names without permission. The AI tool launched in August 2024, offering writing feedback that appeared to come from famous authors, academics, and journalists — both living and dead — based on data scraped from third-party language models.
The feature drew immediate backlash from writers who discovered their names being used to endorse AI-generated advice they never provided. A class-action lawsuit has already been filed against Superhuman, highlighting growing concerns about AI companies using creators' identities without consent.
Grammarly initially tried to address complaints by allowing writers to opt out, but this approach failed to satisfy critics who pointed out that deceased writers couldn't consent and many living ones remained unaware of the unauthorized use. The company included a disclaimer stating the references were "for informational purposes only" and didn't indicate endorsement.
Superhuman CEO Shishir Mehrotra announced the shutdown while the company reassesses the feature, claiming it was designed to help users discover "influential perspectives" and build "deeper relationships" between experts and fans. The controversy reflects broader tensions over AI companies' use of copyrighted content and public figures' likenesses without permission.