Anne Hoffmann, editor-in-chief of the German magazine Die Aktuelle, has been fired from her post because of an artificial intelligence-generated “interview” published by seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher. It is reported by RBC with reference to the publishing house Funke Mediengruppe.
“Funke apologizes to the Schumacher family for the article about Michael Schumacher in the latest issue of Die Aktuelle. This tasteless and misleading article should never have appeared. It does not in any way meet the standards of journalism that we and our readers expect,” said Bianca Pohlmann, managing director of Funke.
Hoffman, who has been in charge of the publication since 2009, has been relieved of her duties.
Die Aktuelle came out with a photo of a smiling driver on the cover and the headline “Michael Schumacher, first interview”. The subtitle stated, “It sounded deceptively plausible.” Only by opening the article, the reader learned that the “quotes” were created by artificial intelligence. In particular, the magazine cited Schumacher’s “quotes” that his life was “completely changed after the accident, it was a terrible time for the whole family.”
The Schumacher family said they plan to file a lawsuit against the publication.
Schumacher is a seven-time Formula 1 champion. In December 2013, a rider was seriously injured in the Alps while skiing.
In September 2021, a documentary was released on the Netflix streaming platform, in which Schumacher’s wife and son stated that he was not capable of independent movement and full communication with others.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
