(CNN) The editor-in-chief of the German magazine Die Aktuelle, which published a fake artificial intelligence (AI) interview with Michael Schumacher, said in a statement to the publisher FUNKE that he had “released her from her duties”, along with an apology to Schumacher. family.
Anne Hoffmann has directed the German weekly since 2009, the statement added.
The publisher’s reaction came after seven-time F1 champion Schumacher’s family said they were planning legal action against the magazine on Thursday.
Schumacher has not been seen in public since suffering a brain injury in a skiing accident in December 2013.
“This tasteless and misleading article should never have been published,” Bianca Pohlmann, managing director of FUNKE magazine, said in a statement. It never meets the standards of journalism you would expect from a publisher like this.”
On April 15th, Die Aktuelle posted a smiling 54-year-old photo on the cover with the headline “Michael Schumacher, first interview” and the subheading “Sounded like the real thing”.
The fake interview, published on page 8 of the magazine under the headline “My Life Has Completely Changed”, is a fictional account attributed to Schumacher, talking about his family life and his medical condition since the accident. Includes citations.
It is only toward the end of the article that it becomes clear that the interview was created by AI.
Schumacher’s family said they were planning to take legal action against the magazine article.
Since the accident, the Schumacher family has kept updates on the motorsport legend’s health to a minimum to protect their privacy.
In September 2021, Corinna Schumacher spoke out about her husband’s condition in a Netflix documentary about her F1 career.
“He still shows me how strong he is every day,” she said at the time.
“We’re living together at home. We’re in therapy. I’ll do everything I can to make Michael better and make sure he’s comfortable. To make you feel our family, our bond.
“And no matter what, I’ll do the best I can. We all do. We’re as family as we were and still are when we loved Michael.” We’re trying to keep going, and we’re getting on with our lives.
“‘Private is private’ he always said. It is very important to me that he continues to enjoy his private life as much as possible.Michael has always protected us. And now we are Protect Michael.”
