Fulcrum Echo promises AI text in the style of any writer, so I tested it

Fulcrum, an AI startup founded in 2025, is grappling with its brand identity as it develops a new product that allows users to replicate the writing style of any author. The company is now operating under the name fulcrum.inc, which may lead to confusion with other companies also named Fulcrum or similar variations. One of Fulcrum's offerings is a large language model named Echo, which can generate text in the style of any well-known author, including literary fiction, casual chatting, and even the writing style of a specific reporter after providing the model with a recent op-ed.

The generated text showed mixed results, but performed better than typical AI-generated pitches. The reporter tested Echo by asking it about the possibility that AI is conscious, and the response hinted at a focus on profitability over philosophical speculation. The generated text exhibited a familiar style but made several choices that differed from the reporter's own writing, such as starting sentences with "I suspect" and using philosophical phrases that were not relevant to the prompt.

While Echo performed well in replicating the reporter's writing style, it is unclear whether the benefits of this technology outweigh the potential harms. For instance, voice imitation technology has raised concerns about publicity rights and deception, leading to the proposal of the NO FAKES Act. If writers cannot protect their writing style from unwanted automated imitation, the best defense may be silence.