Since a life-changing skiing accident, very little information about the condition of the seven-time Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher has been revealed. So when the German magazine Die Aktuelle ran an image of Schumacher on its cover while boasting an exclusive “interview,” it raised many eyebrows.
However, said “interview” was actually an artificial intelligence (AI) generated passage of text. If this wasn’t bad enough, the magazine only revealed that the piece was artificially generated at the end of the fictitious “interview.” In response, a spokesperson for the Schumacher family has confirmed to Reuters that they are planning to initiate legal action against the publication of the deceptive and disrespectful nature of the cover and article.
The magazine stated it was the first interview Schumacher was giving after the incident, and went on to say, “No meager, nebulous half-sentences from friends. But answers from him! By Michael Schumacher, 54,” reports The Independent. In the AI-generated piece, Schumacher purportedly spoke about how his life had completely changed, what a horrible time it was for his family, and how he had been put in an artificial coma for several months.
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It’s not the first time Die Aktuelle has caused controversy around the Schumacher family. In 2015 the publication won a court battle against Micheal’s wife, Corinna, following the magazine using her photos on the cover, with the headline “Corinna Schumacher – a new love makes her happy.” The article itself spoke about the couple’s daughter, with the dismissed lawsuit claiming that the headline was misleading. In another issue from 2014, the weekly mag ran a cover reading “Awake,” with a photo of Michael and Corinna. The ensuing article was once again deceptive, highlighting other individuals who had awoken from comas, but not Schumacher himself.
The former Benetton, Ferrari, and Mercedes driver suffered a brain injury during a skiing trip in the French Alps in 2013. While Schumacher’s condition is unknown, in the 2021 Netflix documentary “Schumacher,” viewers learned how his family’s life changed after the accident.
“I think dad and me, we would understand each other in a different way now,” said Michael’s son, Mick. The Mercedes reserve driver went on to say, “Simply because we speak a similar language – the language of motorsport. We would have had much more to talk about and that is where my head is most of the time, thinking that would be so cool. That would be it. I would give up everything just for that.”
The Schumacher family has been fiercely protective of Michael’s condition. In the same documentary, Corinna said that her husband had always fought to protect his family throughout his Formula 1 career, and now they were protecting Michael. “Private is private,” said Corinna, a phrase that Michael would use for such matters.
