The family of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher is planning to take legal action against a German magazine for publishing an AI-generated “interview” with the star, who has been out of the public eye since a skiing accident nearly a decade ago, according to multiple news reports, the latest lawsuit in a growing wave of litigation involving artificial intelligence.
A spokesperson for the Schumacher family has confirmed to Reuters and ESPN that they are planning to pursue German weekly magazine Die Aktuelle for publishing an interview with the F1 champion that was generated by artificial intelligence.
Schumacher, a seven-time world champion, has not been seen in public since suffering serious head injuries in a skiing accident in late 2013, and his family fiercely protects his privacy and closely guards the details of his personal life and medical condition.
The magazine ran an image of Schumacher smiling on the front cover of its latest edition and boasted an exclusive interview, apparently the star’s first since his accident.
Schumacher purportedly told the outlet his life has “completely changed” since the accident, which was a “horrible time” for his family and left him lying in a “kind of artificial coma” for months, according to the Independent.
The magazine only revealed the artificial nature of the quotes after the “interview.”
The media group that publishes Die Aktuelle did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
