Grammarly’s new feature claims to offer writing advice from real subject matter experts, but there’s a problem – the company never asked these people for permission.
The writing assistant app now lets users get feedback “inspired by” professors and other experts. But when people started testing it, they discovered Grammarly was using names of real people, including professors who had recently died and even someone’s boss at work.
Fake Experts, Real Names
The feature works by having AI generate writing advice that’s supposedly based on how these real experts would respond. But Grammarly appears to have scraped these names from the internet without telling anyone.
When Wired tested the feature, they found deceased professors being offered as active reviewers. Other users discovered their colleagues, bosses, and acquaintances listed as available “experts” who could review their writing.
This raises serious questions about consent and identity theft. These real people never agreed to have an AI impersonate them or give advice in their name. Some might not even know their identity is being used this way.
What Happens Next
Grammarly hasn’t explained how they choose these expert names or whether they plan to get permission. As more people discover their identities being used without consent, the company may face legal challenges over using real people’s names and reputations for their AI features.