Superhuman says it has disabled Grammarly's Expert Review feature, which gave editing suggestions “inspired by” real writers without permission, after backlash
Now it will ‘reimagine’ the Expert Review feature, and allow experts a choice about participating in future AI plans.
Context & Ripple Effects
Expert Review was introduced as a Grammarly tool that simulated feedback from famous writers, including living ones, without permission. The company had first responded to the backlash with an email-based author opt-out, before disabling the feature entirely.
The reversal matters because Grammarly remains a standalone writing product within Superhuman’s broader brand following the company’s Grammarly-to-Superhuman rebrand. Its pledge to let experts choose whether to participate makes consent, rather than mere attribution, the immediate design issue.
First-order effects
- Grammarly users lose access to Expert Review in its current form while Superhuman reworks it.
- Writers whose styles or identities informed the feature are no longer subject to the existing program; Superhuman says future participation will be optional.
Second-order effects
- The shift raises the implementation bar for writing-AI products that market advice through recognizable human voices: they must decide whether to secure participation before launch rather than rely on reactive opt-outs.
- Superhuman must now turn its proposed participation choice into a workable product and rights process, while the feature’s earlier rollout has already drawn a proposed misappropriation lawsuit.
Third-order effects
- If similar features continue to face backlash and legal challenges, AI writing tools may move away from named-persona simulations toward licensed expert programs or less identity-specific feedback.
- The episode adds to a broader push to treat commercialization of a creator’s voice, style, or professional identity as a governance question with consent and enforcement mechanisms, not solely a model-output question.
The trend: AI assistants are being pushed to replace post-launch opt-outs with consent-based governance when product features invoke identifiable creators.