It started with his personal emails. He tried to write to his mother: “I’m coming home for dinner.” The software intercepted. “I shall arrive for the evening meal,” it corrected.He tried to type: “I love you.” The screen blinked. “My affection for you is steadfast.”

The program was stripping away his voice, his warmth, and his errors—which, he realized too late, were the only things that made him sound human.

The cursor didn’t move. Then, letter by letter, the screen displayed: “Subject-verb disagreement detected. Error: 'Possessed' is an imprecise descriptor for optimization.”