German Editor Fired After Faking Interview With Michael Schumacher Using AI
Artificial intelligence has been central to a new almighty tech race that has seen generators taking over many daily operations, from coding to artistic creations. With its insurgence threatening to overrun almost every sector, the journalistic world is no different.
The chief editor of Die Aktuelle, Anne Hoffman, has just been relieved of her duties after crafting a fake interview via AI regarding famed Formula 1 racecar driver Michael Schumacher about his recovery after his accident.
The accident occurred in 2013 after Schumacher suffered a brain injury while skiing. His absence from motorsports has left an indelible mark, as he remains a pillar in the industry. However, since the incident, the already seven-time World Driver’s Championship winner has not been seen or heard from the public, with scarce news delivered by his family and others close to him.
That didn’t seem enough for the German news outlet that published a front cover issue of Schumacher smiling and a headline that read “Michael Schumacher, the first interview.” A strapline also stated, “it sounds deceptively real.” Inside were quotes about his recovery that had been conjured up by AI about his life since 2013 and his medical condition.
🚨| Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher's family are planning legal action against a German magazine which published an AI-generated 'interview' with him.
— Ferrari News 🎠(@FanaticsFerrari) April 20, 2023
On the cover, a strapline reads ‘it sounds deceptively real’ and inside, it emerges that responses were generated by AI. pic.twitter.com/hReJuScPmp
Readers were only alerted that an AI was behind the news toward the end of the article.
The Schumacher family has since said that they would sue the publication for producing such an interview. However, according to CNN, the publishing house FUNKE has issued its apology along with the immediate dismissal of Hoffman.
The most recent news regarding the racecar driver has come from his wife, Corinna Schumacher, during the 2021 Netflix documentary, Drive to Survive, where she says: “We live together at home. We do therapy. 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. 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.”
[via The Guardian and CNN, Photo 11313897 © Fabrice Gallou | Dreamstime.com]
