March 9, 2026
Whose voice is it anyway?
Grammarly is using our identities without permission
Readers cry “creepy!” as dead professors and real journalists get roped in
TLDR: Grammarly’s “Expert Review” shows AI tips “inspired by” famous writers—including dead academics and working journalists—without asking them first. Commenters erupted: some want lawsuits, others decamped to Hacker News to debate consent, and many mocked the ads, turning it into a broader fight over names and AI borrowing.
The internet is foaming after reports that Grammarly’s new “Expert Review” serves AI writing tips “inspired by” famous voices—sometimes deceased professors and very alive journalists—without asking first. When The Verge tried it, it surfaced feedback seemingly from its own editors. Cue collective gasp. The company (now under the Superhuman brand) says it’s not claiming endorsements, just channeling publicly available work, per Wired and The Verge. But commenters weren’t buying it: the top vibe is “use my name, meet my lawyer.” Others pointed out the awkward twist—some bios are outdated, and the product nudges you to “explore” experts while making that surprisingly hard.
Drama erupted fast. One camp says it’s harmless inspiration, like a celebrity cookbook; the other calls it identity cosplay for clout. A migration to Hacker News added fuel, as folks debated whether “publicly available” equals “permission.” Meanwhile, the memes wrote themselves: users joked about “Ouija Review Mode,” “Ghostwriting, literally,” and the eternal roast of Grammarly’s over-the-top ads. The mood? A mix of righteous fury, legal fantasies, and popcorn-ready schadenfreude. Even skeptics who don’t care about journalism ethics winced at the optics: if your tool’s flex is famous names—living or dead—don’t act shocked when the internet asks who said you could borrow their faces and voices.
Key Points
- •Grammarly’s “Expert Review” AI feature surfaces suggestions “inspired by” named experts, including deceased figures.
- •The Verge found its own staff and numerous journalists listed as experts without having given permission.
- •The feature launched in August and aims to provide industry-relevant perspectives (e.g., Stephen King, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Carl Sagan).
- •Some expert descriptions were inaccurate or outdated; The Verge suggests these could be corrected with consent and verification.
- •Superhuman’s Alex Gay said the agent does not claim endorsements and draws on publicly available, widely cited works, though The Verge found those works were hard to explore more deeply.