Michael Schumacher’s Family Threatens Suing German Tabloid Over AI-Generated Interview
- Kyle Chua
- Apr 21, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 19, 2023
Artificial intelligence (AI) is once again being used to cause confusion and misinformation online.
German tabloid Die Aktuell, in its 15 April issue, published what it described as "the first interview" with former Formula One driver Michael Schumacher, who has not been seen in public since suffering a serious brain injury in a 2013 skiing accident. Only after the supposed exclusive interview was it revealed that the article was generated by an AI chatbot.
The issue of the tabloid, which featured the article and a photo of Schumacher on the cover, touted, "No meagre, nebulous half-sentences from friends. But answers from him! By Michael Schumacher, 54!" as ESPN reports.
A spokesperson for the Schumacher family told ESPN that legal action will be taken against Die Aktuell. The Schumacher family has been very protective of the seven-time racing champion's privacy since the skiing incident. Schumacher's medical condition was never publicly revealed, and he is believed to be residing in his family's home in Switzerland.
Perhaps the Netflix documentary, titled "Schumacher", provides the best glimpse at the famed racer's life today. In it, his wife Corinna Schumacher speaks about her husband's condition, saying, "Michael is here. Different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength, I find.”
"It's very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible," she also says. "Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael."
There's a growing fear that the advancement of generative AI technology can only make it harder for the public to tell what's real from what's fake, such as the case with this interview, which supposedly has easy-to-miss disclaimers that it's not AI-generated. The interview also comes amid a stream of viral images and deep-fake videos depicting a number of public figures in a misleading light. An AI-generated image of the Pope donning a stylish puffer jacket, for example, went viral in late March, fooling many people online into thinking it was real.
German tabloid Die Aktuell, in its 15 April, issue published what it described as "the first interview" with former Formula One driver Michael Schumacher, who has not been seen in public since suffering a serious brain injury in a 2013 skiing accident.
Only after the supposed exclusive interview was it revealed that the article was generated by an AI chatbot.
A spokesperson for the Schumacher family said legal action will be taken against the tabloid.
