The editor-in-chief of a German tabloid magazine that published an AI-generated “interview” with former seven-time Formula One world champion Michael Schumacher was fired on Friday, media group Funke confirmed on Saturday.
Michael Schumacher’s family will file a lawsuit against German magazine Die Aktuelle for publishing a fake interview with the legendary German Formula One driver, conducted with artificial intelligence, US sports broadcaster ESPN reported on Thursday.
The magazine had boasted that it had obtained an interview with Michael Schumacher, the first since his skiing accident and severe head injury in late 2013 in the French Alps. On Wednesday, the celebrity news magazine, owned by Germany’s Funke Group, published the “interview” and then revealed that it had been generated by artificial intelligence.
The article included quotes attributed to Schumacher about his family life since the accident and his health. The Schumacher family confirmed to ESPN via a spokesperson that they plan to take legal action over the interview. The family of Schumacher, 54, is fiercely guarding the privacy of the former champion, who has not been seen in public since his accident.
In the press - AI and disinformation: German magazine admits Michael Schumacher interview was AI fake ➡️ https://t.co/UiJ2tOGCUm pic.twitter.com/ojYfMjudiC
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) April 20, 2023
Hardly any information has been released about his health in almost ten years. With seven titles – tied with Lewis Hamilton who succeeded him at Mercedes – Schumacher is the most successful champion in the history of Formula One. He left hospital six months after his accident and was installed in a medical bed at his family’s Swiss villa in Gland (canton of Vaud).
He was still there at the end of 2021 when a Netflix documentary was released to great fanfare. His wife, Corinna Schumacher, has stressed the family's firm commitment to privacy. In the documentary she said that "Michael has always protected us and now we protect Michael."
Their son Mick (24) is currently a reserve driver at Mercedes, the team with which his father ended his career in October 2012.
