Michael Schumacher's Family Plan Legal Action Over Fake AI Interview

Michael Schumacher’s family plan to take legal action after a German magazine published what it called an AI-generated interview with the seven-time Formula 1 world champion. Sabine Kehm, a spokesperson for the family told The Associated Press that legal steps are planned over a “fake artificial intelligence interview by German outlet Die Aktuelle.”

The tabloid celebrity magazine printed a photograph of Schumacher on the front page, which said, “Michael Schumacher, the first interview!” Writing about the AI quotes, the magazine commented, “it sounds deceptively real”.

See also: Carlos Sainz Believes Porpoising Could Cause Serious Health Problems For Formula 1 Drivers

Schumacher was involved in a skiing accident in the French Alps in December 2013 and suffered a near-fatal brain injury. After several months in hospital, he was transferred to a family home in Switzerland to receive private care.

The German publisher has since apologized to Schumacher’s family and fired the chief editor of Die Aktuelle magazine over the fake interview created using artificial intelligence. Funke magazines managing director, Bianca Pohlmann, said, “This tasteless and misleading article should never have appeared. It does not in any way correspond to the standards of journalism that we – and our readers – expect from a publisher like Funke.”