Grammarly is facing a lawsuit after using real people’s names and identities to make their AI writing suggestions look more trustworthy. The company has been slapping actual journalists’ names on AI-generated writing tips without asking permission first.
This isn’t just using someone’s work – it’s pretending real experts wrote things they never wrote. When Grammarly’s AI suggests changes to your writing, it sometimes shows these fake “expert reviews” with real people’s names attached.
Real Names, Fake Reviews
Journalist Julia Angwin discovered Grammarly was using her name for AI suggestions she never made. She filed a class-action lawsuit this week, claiming the company stole her professional identity to make their AI seem more credible.
For months, Grammarly users thought they were getting advice from real writing experts. Instead, they were reading AI-generated suggestions with stolen identities slapped on top. The lawsuit says this violates people’s right to control how their professional reputation gets used.
This case highlights a growing problem as AI companies scramble to make their tools seem more human and trustworthy. Some are crossing ethical lines by borrowing real people’s credibility without consent.
What Happens Next
The lawsuit could force Grammarly to pay damages and change how it presents AI suggestions. More importantly, it might set rules for how AI companies can use real people’s names and reputations. Other writing tools that use similar tactics could face legal trouble too.