Investigative journalist Julia Angwin has filed a class-action lawsuit against Grammarly's parent company Superhuman after discovering the editing service was selling fake versions of her writing style to paying users. The service, which offered suggestions supposedly from well-known writers including novelist Stephen King and journalist Kara Swisher, operated for eight months without seeking consent from any of the featured writers.

Angwin, the lead plaintiff in the case filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, argues that Superhuman violated New York and California publicity laws by using her name commercially without permission. The company's CEO Shishir Mehrotra announced the feature would be disabled following criticism, though he maintains the legal claims lack merit. The controversy highlights growing concerns about AI companies scraping content without consent.

The case underscores the urgent need for stronger federal right of publicity laws, as current state statutes vary widely in scope and application. While proposals like the No Fakes Act and SAFE Act address specific scenarios, they fail to comprehensively protect writers and creators from AI exploitation. Angwin's lawsuit could set a precedent for how AI companies must handle the intellectual property and likeness of real people.