Superhuman has disabled Grammarly’s “Expert Review” feature that impersonated real writers and academics, following outrage and a class-action lawsuit against the company.
The tool, launched in August, used AI to generate feedback credited to specific experts without their consent. Living authors expressed outrage, leading to a class-action lawsuit against Superhuman. CEO Shishir Mehrotra announced the decision to suspend the feature on LinkedIn on March 11, 2026.
The controversy highlights the legal risks of AI systems that scrape personal data to create commercial products. The feature relied on publicly available information from third-party LLMs to mimic experts. It displayed names of both living and deceased individuals alongside a disclaimer. The disclaimer stated the references were for informational purposes only and did not imply endorsement.
The feature allowed users to select experts based on subject matter. It included figures ranging from scientists to fiction authors. Users received feedback generated to appear as if it came from these individuals. The tool did not seek permission from the people named. Mehrotra stated the agent was designed to help users discover influential perspectives.
Grammarly initially attempted to mitigate backlash by allowing writers to opt out of the platform. This response failed to satisfy many critics. A class-action lawsuit is currently underway against Superhuman regarding the tool. Mehrotra said the company is reassessing the feature before any potential reintroduction.
Grammarly is a widely used writing assistant. Superhuman, primarily an email productivity app, acquired Grammarly in a major industry deal. The acquisition positioned Superhuman as a broader productivity platform. The company faces ongoing scrutiny regarding its use of AI and user data.
