One of Grammarly’s ‘experts’ is suing the company over its identity-stealing AI feature
AI Summary
Journalist Julia Angwin filed a class-action lawsuit against Grammarly on Wednesday, alleging that the company used her identity without consent in its AI-powered 'Expert Review' feature, as reported by The Verge and previously covered by Wired. The complaint alleges that Grammarly's parent company Superhuman violated privacy and publicity rights by using real people's identities for commercial purposes without their permission. Angwin reportedly learned her likeness was being used through fellow journalist Casey Newton, who was also among the real individuals The Verge identified as being used in the feature. The lawsuit seeks class-action status, suggesting multiple individuals beyond Angwin may be included in the legal action. Grammarly had reportedly been using the identities of real journalists and writers in its Expert Review AI suggestions for several months prior to the filing.
Why it matters
The lawsuit highlights growing legal exposure for AI companies that leverage real individuals' identities or likenesses to enhance product credibility without obtaining explicit consent, a risk increasingly scrutinized across the AI industry. For Grammarly, which operates in the competitive AI writing assistant market alongside tools like Microsoft Copilot and Google's writing features, the case could result in financial liability, reputational damage, and potential changes to its product feature set. The case adds to a broader wave of litigation targeting AI firms over unauthorized use of personal data and identity, which may have implications for how AI companies design consumer-facing features and obtain rights clearances going forward.
Scoring rationale
The lawsuit involves an AI product feature from Grammarly misusing real identities, touching on AI ethics and legal risk for an AI-focused company, but Grammarly is privately held and the market impact is limited and indirect.
This summary was generated by AI from the original article published by The Verge AI. AIMarketWire does not provide trading advice. Always refer to the original source for complete reporting.