Die Aktuelle editor-in-chief fired for publishing AI-generated interview with Michael Schumacher

Ann Hoffmann, editor-in-chief of the German magazine Die Aktuelle, has been fired after publishing a fake interview with seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher. An artificial intelligence (AI) program was used to generate quotes in the interview. The dismissal of Ms. Hoffmann, who has held the position of editor-in-chief since 2009, is reported by AFP, citing a statement from the Funke media group, which includes the magazine.

Mr Schumacher suffered a serious head injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps in 2013. Since the injury, he has not appeared in public, there is little information about the condition of the former rider. Michael Schumacher reportedly has memory, movement and speech problems and is being cared for at home near Geneva. Schumacher’s family, which has carefully guarded the 54-year-old’s privacy since the crash, said they plan to sue.

The AI-generated interview was published on April 19, the first since Michael Schumacher was injured. Bianca Pohlmann, director of Funke Magazine Group, apologized today, April 22. “This article was tasteless and misleading and should never have appeared,” Ms Pohlmann said in a statement.

“What happened in no way meets the standards of journalism that we – and our readers – expect from a band like Funke,” the statement said. The article included quotes attributed to Mr. Schumacher about his family life after the accident and his state of health.

Maria Fedotova