Schumacher had suffered a severe head injury in a skiing accident back in December 2013. He had not been seen in public since.
The magazine in question - Die Aktuelle, ran a picture of a smiling Schumacher on their front cover, headlined – “Michael Schumacher, the First Interview”.
It turns out that the article was created with the help of an AI program called character.ai. It artificially generated quotes about Schumacher’s health and family.
Some of the quotes from the article read:
“I can with the help of my team actually stand by myself and even slowly walk a few steps.”
“My wife and my children were a blessing to me and without them, I would not have managed it. Naturally, they are also very sad, how it has all happened.”
“They support me and are standing firmly at my side.”
The Schumacher family has confirmed that they will be seeking legal action against the magazine for the AI interview.
After his injury, Schumacher’s family took him home and continued his treatment there. In a 2021 Netflix documentary, his wife said:
“We live together at home. We do therapy. We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he’s comfortable, and to simply make him feel our family, our bond.”
“We’re trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives.”
“‘Private is private’, as he always said. It’s very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us, and now we are protecting Michael.”