Michael Schumacher's family reportedly awarded $216K over AI 'interview' of F1 legend that was touted as real
An AI-generated interview purported to be of Formula 1 racing legend Michael Schumacher has cost its publisher more than $200,000.
German magazine Die Aktuelle ran a cover story on April 15, 2023, touting an exclusive interview with Schumacher, who hasn't spoken or been in seen in public since sustaining brain damage in a 2013 skiing accident.
The cover spread featured a prominent photo of Schumacher alongside bold font headline proclaiming: "Das erste Interview," which translates in English to "the first interview." Below the headline was a subhead reading: "Es klingt tauschend echt," which translates to "it sounds incredibly real."
At the end of the article, the magazine revealed that the quotes attributed to Schumacher were actually generated by artificial intelligence.
Shortly after the article's publication, a Schumacher family spokeswoman announced that the family was taking legal action against Die Aktuelle. The magazine's publisher Funke Media Group issued an apology to the Schumacher family in response and fired Die Aktuelle's editor-in-chief Anne Hoffmann.
"Funke apologizes to the Schumacher family for the reporting in the latest issue of 'Die Aktuelle' about Michael Schumacher: This tasteless and misleading article should never have appeared," a statement attributed to Funke magazine managing director Bianca Pohlmann reads.
Per multiple reports, the Munich Labor Court has awarded the Schumacher family €200,000 (roughly $216,400) in the dispute.
Schumacher, 55, won 91 races and secured 155 podiums over an F1 career that spanned from 1991-2012. He won seven driver's championships, tied for the most all time with active driver Lewis Hamilton.
He hit his head on a rock during a skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013, causing a brain injury. Little is known about his condition since. His family has remained guarded about his health and has kept Schumacher out of the public eye.
