The Scoop: Grammarly CEO defends tool that cloned journalists in podcast interview — with host who was cloned

A few weeks ago, Grammarly faced backlash and legal action after disabling its Expert Review AI feature, which had been cloning prominent writers without their consent. The tool, which aimed to provide feedback from admired authors, inadvertently sparked a lawsuit and forced the company to apologize and shut down the feature. Now, Grammarly CEO Shishir Mehrotra is taking a bold step by defending the idea behind Expert Review on The Verge podcast Decoder, hosted by journalist Nilay Patel. Patel, one of the writers whose style was mimicked by the tool, questioned Mehrotra about the decision to proceed with Expert Review despite lacking permission from the cloned writers.

Mehrotra explained that the inspiration behind Expert Review was to provide users with feedback from the experts they admired. "For some of Grammarly's users, the people they want feedback from are the people they admire," he said. "It's the experts in the world, it's the people that they're trying to look up to and trying to model after. That was the inspiration behind it." However, he acknowledged that the feature did not deliver on either the user experience or the expert side, resulting in a suboptimal outcome for both parties.

During the conversation, Mehrotra compared the cloning process to the concept of attribution. He emphasized that when someone uses a writer's content, they should attribute the source, which requires using the writer's name. When pressed about when writers should have been paid for their work being cloned, Mehrotra did not provide a clear answer. Patel challenged Mehrotra's argument, stating that the impersonation aspect of the tool was a significant issue.

Despite Mehrotra's attempts to address the concerns, Patel pointed out a critical detail: attribution requires the original creator to explicitly state that they are the source. This highlights the core issue of trust, which the Expert Review tool undermined on multiple levels.

Despite the controversy surrounding the Expert Review feature, Mehrotra chose not to cancel the interview with Patel, which had been scheduled a month in advance. This decision showcases a level of accountability, as the CEO is willing to face the journalists whose work was cloned. The interview serves as a platform for both Mehrotra and Patel to discuss the ethical implications of AI cloning and the importance of respecting writers' rights.

In addition to the Grammarly controversy, the tech industry has seen other significant developments. OpenAI abruptly ended its Sora project, a tool designed to help writers improve their prose. Meanwhile, DoorDash launched a relief program for its drivers, offering financial assistance during the ongoing pandemic.

As the debate around AI cloning continues, the case of Grammarly's Expert Review serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of obtaining proper consent and respecting intellectual property. The interview between Mehrotra and Patel on The Verge podcast Decoder provides a unique opportunity for the public to witness the CEO defend his company's actions and confront the ethical dilemmas raised by the tool.