Grammarly introduced a feature that uses AI to simulate feedback from experts like Stephen King or Carl Sagan without their permission. Julia Angwin, a journalist affected by this, filed a class action lawsuit against Grammarly’s parent company, Superhuman, claiming violation of privacy rights. Angwin expressed her distress, noting the irony as she has investigated tech companies’ privacy impacts. AI ethics expert Timnit Gebru was also impersonated by Grammarly. The feature, costing $144 annually, failed to provide valuable feedback. Casey Newton tested it with his article, receiving vague suggestions supposedly from Kara Swisher. After sharing this with the real Swisher, she criticized Grammarly. Following backlash, Grammarly disabled the feature. Superhuman CEO Shishir Mehrotra defended the concept but apologized.
Writer Sues Grammarly for Using Authors as ‘AI Editors’ Without Consent
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