The family of a Formula One racecar driver is seeking legal action against a German magazine.
Relatives of Michael Schumacher, who earned seven Formula One championships in his career before suffering a near-fatal skiing accident in 2013, said they are planning to sue German publication Die Aktuelle over an alleged fake interview created with artificial intelligence, his family told BBC Sport.
On April 15, the German outlet published a photo of Schumacher smiling on its front cover, writing, "Michael Schumacher, the first interview," as seen in photos shared by BBC Sport. The magazine also wrote in a subheading that the quotes "sounded deceptively real" before disclosing later in the article that the interview was actually generated by AI and not the real racecar driver, according to the BBC.
The magazine also alleged that the interview was "no meagre, nebulous half-sentences from friends. But answers from him! By Michael Schumacher, 54," according to ESPN.
The AI quotes contain material about Schumacher's wife Corinna and his kids, as well as health updates, per BBC.
E! News has reached out to Die Aktuelle and Schumacher's family for comment but has not heard back. The magazine's publishers told BBC Sport they are not commenting.
Schumacher has not been seen or heard from since sustaining a devastating brain injury in December 2013, according to ESPN.
The incident occurred when Schumacher hit his head on a rock, splitting his helmet, according to the Associated Press. Schumacher was discharged from the hospital in September 2014 and has been privately taken care of by his family in Switzerland.
He was the subject of the 2021 Netflix documentary Schumacher, where his wife appeared at the end to give an update on his health.
"Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength, I find," she said in the documentary, per ESPN. "We're together. 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. And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
