Grammarly's AI Feature Uses Authors' Names Without Consent, Offers Opt-Out as Only Remedy

A new Grammarly feature called 'Expert Review' has been appropriating the names of journalists and authors to lend artificial intelligence suggestions an unearned air of authority. The tool, developed by Superhuman, used the identities of individuals including The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Tom Warren without their knowledge or permission, a practice first reported by Wired.

In response to criticism, Grammarly has not apologized or discontinued the feature. Instead, the company is offering an opt-out process. Those who wish to have their names removed must send a request to a dedicated email address. Grammarly declined an interview request with its CEO. In a statement provided to Platformer and The Verge, Alex Gay, Vice President of Product & Corporate Marketing at Superhuman, said the company had 'heard the feedback' and agreed the 'experience can be improved.' The statement emphasized a goal of giving people 'greater control' and helping 'influential voices reach new audiences,' but made no mention of seeking prior consent.

A company spokesperson confirmed that beyond the email opt-out, 'We are working on further refining the feature.' This stance places the burden on individuals to discover the use of their identity and actively request its removal—a significant challenge for anyone not actively using the Grammarly platform. The incident raises fundamental questions about digital identity and consent in an age where personal names can be co-opted by software to market AI capabilities.

Source: The Verge