German magazine editor fired after publishing an AI-generated ‘interview’ with Michael Schumacher

The editor-in-chief of the German magazine “Die Aktuelle” has been sacked after the publication ran a fake “interview” with Formula One legend Michael Schumacher, where his responses were generated by AI.

Funke Media Group, the magazine’s publisher, apologized to Schumacher’s family and announced the departure of the magazine’s head editor Anne Hoffmann in a statement late last week. Hoffman had helmed the magazine since 2009, it said.

“This tasteless and misleading article should never have appeared,” said Bianca Pohlmann, managing director of Funke magazines, in the German statement. “It in no way corresponds to the standards of journalism that we — and our readers — expect from a publisher like Funke.”

Schumacher, 54, has not been seen in public since suffering a near-fatal brain injury while skiing in the French Alps in 2013. The seven-time F1 champion is currently being cared for privately at a family home in Switzerland.

Sabine Kehm, a spokesperson for Schumacher’s family, confirmed over email to the Associated Press last Thursday they were planning legal action over a “fake artificial intelligence interview by German outlet Die Aktuelle.”

Die Aktuelle featured Schumacher’s “interview” on the front page of their April 15 issue, promoting it as the star’s first media appearance since their accident. The cover doesn’t mention the interview was faked, though the line: “It sounds deceptively real” was included.

Inside, the article featured AI-generated quotes from Schumacher about his health, family and career. Its headline included the fake quote: “My life has changed completely.” The article later explained that all of Schumacher’s responses were generated by AI, speculating that the racing champion or his family provided the AI with private information.

Schumacher’s quotes were reportedly generated by Character.AI, a large language model that lets one converse with an AI that mimics notables like Elon Musk, Joe Biden or Albert Einstein.

Schumacher retired in 2012 with the record for the most F1 titles in history. His feat would be matched by British driver Lewis Hamilton, who replaced him on the team.

The star’s family has spoken about his condition in a 2021 Netflix documentary.

“We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable, and to simply make him feel our family, our bond,” said his wife Corinna Schumacher.

“We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives.”

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