---
title: "ChatGPT now blocks direct requests to mimic an author's writing style"
url: https://www.parallelquant.com/posts/chatgpt-now-blocks-direct-requests-to-mimic-an-author-s-writing-style-a251eb
source_name: "Ars Technica"
source_url: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/chatgpt-stops-cloning-famous-writers-voices-but-may-capture-a-similar-feeling/
published: 2026-07-27T16:58:46.000Z
topics: ["llms", "policy"]
publisher: "Parallel Quant"
---

# ChatGPT now blocks direct requests to mimic an author's writing style

*2026-07-27 · Source: [Ars Technica](https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/chatgpt-stops-cloning-famous-writers-voices-but-may-capture-a-similar-feeling/)*

OpenAI added new behavior to ChatGPT that blocks requests to directly copy a specific author's writing style, targeting what one report describes as an author's "broad qualities." The change comes amid growing legal scrutiny of AI models trained on copyrighted text.

**Why it matters:** Style itself generally isn't protectable under copyright law, so a voluntary guardrail like this suggests OpenAI is getting ahead of "style theft" complaints from authors rather than waiting for courts to settle the question, following legal pressure from earlier training-data lawsuits. It could set a norm other AI labs follow to preempt similar backlash.

**Topics:** llms, policy

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Read the original: https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/07/chatgpt-stops-cloning-famous-writers-voices-but-may-capture-a-similar-feeling/
Canonical: https://www.parallelquant.com/posts/chatgpt-now-blocks-direct-requests-to-mimic-an-author-s-writing-style-a251eb
Published by Parallel Quant — https://www.parallelquant.com