A German magazine publisher ran it as a “world sensation” interview with the retiree. Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher, but using answers written by artificial intelligence, has fired the magazine’s editor and apologized to Mr Schumacher’s family.
Mr. Schumacher, 54, retreated from public life after suffering a brain injury in a skiing accident nearly a decade ago, and his family has fiercely guarded his privacy ever since. The front cover of the April 15 issue of the celebrity magazine Die Aktuelle promoted an interview with Mr. Schumacher, who is German, his first since the accident: “das erste interview.”
The front cover included the words “It looks deceptively real,” indicating that the interview may not be what it seems.
Inside the magazine, photos of Mr Schumacher smiling and of his children were published alongside quotes about his family and health. The article explained that all quotes attributed to Mr. Schumacher were generated by artificial intelligence.
Mr Schumacher’s family have been known to maintain secrecy about his health since he hit his head on a rock while skiing in Meribel, a resort in the French Alps. In December 2013. Doctors said at the time that he was in critical condition and that he was “fighting for his life.” Few details about his health have since come to light.
A spokeswoman for Mr Schumacher’s family, Sabine Kehm, said in an email on Monday that the family was planning to take legal action against Diaktewell.
Funke Media Group, which publishes Die Aktuelle, In a statement on Friday, he apologized to the family. And said the magazine’s editor-in-chief Ann Hoffman was fired over the article. She had been running the magazine since 2009, the statement said. Reports That Mr. Schumacher’s family was planning to take legal action before Ms. Hoffman was released.
“This vulgar and misleading article should never have been published, adding that it does not meet the company’s journalistic standards” in any way, shape or form, Bianca Pohlman, managing director of Finke Media Group, said in an emailed statement. In what we and our readers expect. From a publisher like Finke.
When Mr. Schumacher Retired in 2012.He was the most successful Formula 1 driver in history. He won the world championship a record seven times and won a record 91 Grand Prix races.
The feat is equaled only by British driver Lewis Hamilton, who equaled Mr Schumacher’s record of seven championships. In 2020. In the same yearMr. Hamilton topped Mr. Schumacher’s Grand Prix record, and he overall 103 race.
Mr. Schumacher’s son, Mick Schumacher, Also a Formula 1 driver.Haas is serving as reserve driver for Mr Hamilton’s Mercedes team after two seasons with the team.
Little is known about Michael Schumacher’s life after his skiing accident. His family said In September 2014 that he had moved her from the hospital to the family estate in Gland, Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Geneva.
His wife, Corina Schumacher, said in the 2021 documentary “Schumacher” that “everyone misses Michael, but Michael is here.”
“It’s different, but he’s here, and that gives us strength, I think,” he said.
“We’re together, we’re in the house together,” Ms Schumacher said. “We do therapy, we do everything we can to make Michael better and make sure he’s comfortable, and just to give him a sense of our family, our bond.”
