Grammarly's 'Expert Review' Feature Simulates Feedback from Famous Authors Without Permission
Key Takeaways
- ▸Grammarly's new Expert Review feature generates AI feedback styled after famous authors and academics without their permission or endorsement
- ▸The tool includes both living figures like Stephen King and deceased individuals like Carl Sagan and recently deceased historian David Abulafia
- ▸Critics accuse the feature of exploiting the names and reputations of scholars by training AI models on their work without consent
Summary
Grammarly, now operating under parent company Superhuman, has launched an AI-powered 'Expert Review' feature that generates writing feedback styled after famous authors and academics—both living and deceased—without obtaining their permission or endorsement. The tool offers simulated critiques from figures including Stephen King, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Carl Sagan, and recently deceased historian David Abulafia. While Grammarly includes a disclaimer stating these references are 'for informational purposes only' and don't indicate affiliation or endorsement, the feature has sparked controversy over copyright and ethical concerns.
The Expert Review feature is part of Grammarly's expanded AI capabilities announced in October 2024, when CEO Shishir Mehrotra rebranded the parent company as Superhuman. The platform now includes multiple AI tools including chatbots, paraphrasers, 'humanizers' that adjust voice, AI graders for academic work, and tools to detect AI-generated content. According to Superhuman's communications manager Jen Dakin, the Expert Review agent 'leverages our underlying LLM to surface expert content' and provides 'suggestions inspired by works of experts,' though the company doesn't clarify whether it obtained rights to train on these individuals' works.
The feature has drawn sharp criticism from academics like Vanessa Heggie, an associate professor at the University of Birmingham, who accused Superhuman of 'creating little LLMs' from 'scraped work' and trading on the names and reputations of scholars without consent. The legality of training AI models on copyrighted content remains contested, with numerous ongoing lawsuits challenging similar practices across the AI industry. Neither Stephen King nor Neil deGrasse Tyson responded to requests for comment about their inclusion in the feature.
- The feature is part of Grammarly's broader expansion into AI tools under parent company Superhuman, announced in October 2024
- The legality of training AI on copyrighted content remains unclear and is the subject of multiple ongoing lawsuits
