Michael Schumacher: Magazine editor sacked over AI-generated 'interview' with seven-time F1 champion

The April 15 beforehand screen of play German mag Die Aktuelle

The exertion of a German mag that published an artificial intelligence-generated 'interview' with Michael Schumacher has been sacked.

Schumacher, a seven-time satellite champion, suffered terrible caput injuries successful a skiing mishap successful December 2013 and has not been seen successful nationalist since.

Die Aktuelle ran a beforehand screen with a header of "Michael Schumacher, the archetypal interview".

A strapline underneath a smiling representation of Schumacher work "it sounded deceptively real", and it emerged successful the nonfiction that the expected quotes had been produced by AI.

The nonfiction was produced utilizing an AI programme called charatcter.ai, which artificially generated Schumacher 'quotes' astir his wellness and family.

"I tin with the assistance of my squad really basal by myself and adjacent dilatory locomotion a fewer steps," work the Schumacher 'quotes'.

"My woman and my children were a blessing to maine and without them I would not person managed it. Naturally they are besides precise sad, however it has each happened.

"They enactment maine and are lasting firmly astatine my side."

Schumacher's household said connected Friday that they program to instrumentality ineligible enactment against the mag and, connected Sunday, its steadfast issued an apology.

"This tasteless and misleading nonfiction should ne'er person appeared. It successful nary mode meets the standards of journalism that we - and our readers - expect," said Bianca Pohlmann, managing manager of Funke media group.

"As a effect of the work of this article, contiguous unit consequences volition beryllium drawn.

"Die Aktuelle editor-in-chief Anne Hoffmann, who has held journalistic work for the insubstantial since 2009, volition beryllium relieved of her duties arsenic of today."

Following his skiing accident, Schumacher was placed into an induced coma and was brought location successful September 2014, with his aesculapian information since kept backstage by his family.

Schumacher, 54, won 2 of his F1 satellite drivers' titles with Benetton successful 1994 and 1995, portion helium claimed 5 successful a enactment for Ferrari from 2000 to 2004.

His 7 F1 titles is simply a grounds shared jointly with Lewis Hamilton, portion Schumacher achieved 91 contention wins implicit his career, a grounds Hamilton surpassed successful 2020.

The German primitively retired from racing successful 2006 but returned successful 2010 earlier again retiring 2 years later.

Schumacher's lad Mick utilized to thrust for Haas successful F1 and is presently a reserve operator for Mercedes.

In a 2021 Netflix documentary, Schumacher's woman Corinna said: "We unrecorded unneurotic astatine home. We bash therapy. We bash everything we tin to marque Michael amended and to marque definite he's comfortable, and to simply marque him consciousness our family, our bond.

"We're trying to transportation connected arsenic a family, the mode Michael liked it and inactive does. And we are getting connected with our lives.

"'Private is private', arsenic helium ever said. It's precise important to maine that helium tin proceed to bask his backstage beingness arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. Michael ever protected us, and present we are protecting Michael."