Michael Schumacher’s family win legal case against publisher over AI interview

The family of Michael Schumacher has won their legal action against the publisher of a magazine which printed an artificial intelligence-generated interview with the Formula One great.

German magazine Die Aktuelle promoted on its cover in April 2023 the words: “Michael Schumacher, the first interview!” It also wrote “it sounds deceptively real”, with the supposed quotes attributed to Schumacher generated by AI. Die Aktuelle is one of many tabloid celebrity magazines in Germany.

Family spokesperson Sabine Kehm said that legal action was successful, without making any further comment. The compensation amount was reportedly €200,000.

German publisher, Funke magazines, apologised to Schumacher’s family last year for the article and fired Anne Hoffmann, the chief editor of Die Aktuelle. “This tasteless and misleading article should never have appeared,” said Funke’s managing director Bianca Pohlmann at the time. “It in no way meets the standards of journalism that we and our readers expect from a publisher like Funke.”

It was while skiing in the French Alps at Meribel that Schumacher fell in December 2013 and suffered a near-fatal brain injury. His head hit a rock which split open his helmet. Since being transferred from hospital in September 2014, the seven-time F1 champion has been cared for privately at a family home in Switzerland.

The 55-year-old Schumacher had retired from F1 in 2012 after winning 91 races, and five straight titles with Ferrari from 2000-04. The German driver’s other two titles were with Benetton in 1994 and 1995.

- Guardian

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