Editor-in-chief fired for using AI in fake Schumacher interview

A fictional interview with Michael Schumachera former Formula 1 driver, was published in the magazine Die Aktuelle and resulted in the resignation of the editor-in-chief Anne Hoffmann. Schumacher’s family wants to sue the German vehicle for what happened, as the material is the result of a dialogue with the Artificial Intelligence (AI)according to the news agency Associated Press.

In addition to the false interaction, the tabloid stamped the image of the former pilot on the cover of the edition, accompanied by the phrase “looks deceptively real” positioned outside the title. Clarification about AI capabilities in production was only published after sensational disclosures took place. About the case, the manager of the magazine said the following:

“This misleading and nasty article should never have been published. It in no way meets the journalistic standards that we and our readers expect.”, stated Bianca Polman.

_{Schumacher on the cover of Die Aktuelle magazine (Photo: Disclosure/Poder 360)}

Schumacher retired in 2012 and has been off the slopes for good since December 2013, when he suffered a serious accident while skiing in the French Alps that left him in a supposed vegetative state. At the time, the pilot suffered a fall, hit his head on a rock and was hospitalized.

After spending six months in a coma in France, the former pilot returned home to Switzerland and continues his life with the privacy preserved by the family, which keeps the public and the media without information about the condition of his health. In a documentary released by Netflix in 2021, his wife commented on this decision: “It is very important to me that he continues to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael has always had our backs and now we are the ones protecting Michael.”he said Corinna Schumacher.

_{Micheal Schumacher skiing (Photo: Ercola Colombo/R7)}

It is not the first time that the Schumacher family has been the target of the sensationalism of the Die Aktuelle. In 2014, the magazine published a photo of Michael and his wife on the cover, accompanied by the word “Awakened”, while the subject in question made reference to people who had already woken up from a coma in the past, according to the publication of ESPN UK.

Throughout his career, Michael Schumacher won 91 races and won seven F1 world titles — the main category of motor racing, in which lewis hamilton currently has the same number of titles.

Featured Photo: Cover of Die Aktuelle magazine; Michael Schumacher – Photos: Playback/Twitter; Disclosure/Autoracing