(CNN) — The family of seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher plans to take legal action after a fake interview conducted using artificial intelligence (AI) was published by a German magazine, a family spokesman told CNN on Thursday.
Schumacher has not been seen in public since suffering a brain injury in a skiing accident in December 2013.
On April 15, Die Aktuelle, a weekly magazine in Germany, published a smiling photo of the 54-year-old driver on the cover with the headline: “Michael Schumacher, the first interview.”
Next to the headline is a subheading that reads, “Sounded deceptively real.”
The bogus interview appears on page eight of the magazine under the headline: “My Life Has Completely Changed,” and includes fictitious quotes attributed to Schumacher, in which he talks about his family life since the accident and his state of health.
Only towards the end of the article does it become apparent that the interview was produced by artificial intelligence.
“I can confirm that Michael Schumacher’s family plans to take legal action over the fake interview conducted with artificial intelligence by German media outlet Die Aktuelle,” a Schumacher spokesperson told CNN on Thursday.
The German weekly Die Aktuelle published a fake artificial intelligence interview with Michael Schumacher. Credit: Hannibal Hanschke/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Dennis Barkhausen, a spokesman for Funke-Mediengruppe, which publishes Die Aktuelle, declined to comment.
“Please understand that we do not comment on this topic,” Barkhausen told CNN on Thursday.
Since the accident, the Schumacher family has kept updates about the motoring legend’s health to a minimum to protect his privacy.
In September 2021, Corinna Schumacher opened up about her husband’s condition in a Netflix documentary about his Formula One career.
“He still shows me how strong he is every day,” he said at the time.
“We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to get Michael better and to make him comfortable. And just to make him feel like we’re a family, a bond.”
“And whatever happens, I’ll do everything I can. We all will. We try to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we move on with our lives.”
“‘Private is private,’ as he always said. It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us, and now we protect Michael.”
Schumacher at the Italian Grand Prix in September 1998. Credit: Darren Heath/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Schumacher’s son Mick is also a Formula One driver and is currently a Mercedes reserve after two seasons with the Haas team.
“It is a great privilege for me to bring the Schumacher name back to Formula 1,” the 24-year-old told CNN Sport two years ago, ahead of his first season in the sport.
