Schumacher family to file lawsuit over fabricated interview

The family of German Michael Schumacher intends to sue the German magazine D’Actuale for publishing a fake interview conducted using artificial intelligence methods with the former Formula 1 world champion.

The magazine claimed to have interviewed the Category 1 legend, his first interview since he suffered a serious head injury in 2013 in a skiing accident in the French Alps.

The magazine published an “interview” yesterday, and it was later revealed that it was the result of artificial intelligence techniques.

The “interview” included quotes attributed to Schumacher, in which he talked about his family life after the accident and about his health.

A spokesman for the Schumacher family, which has sought to keep the case of the former Ferrari and Mercedes driver under wraps, has confirmed that the latter plans to sue D’Actuale magazine.

Schumacher, 54, did not appear in public for 10 years after the injury, and little information was publicly reported on his condition.

Reports indicate that Schumacher has been suffering from memory, movement and speech problems since the accident and is being cared for at his home near Geneva.

“Privacy is privacy, as he always said,” Schumacher’s wife Corinne said in a documentary broadcast on the Netflix platform in 2021. “Michael has always protected us, and now we protect Michael.”

Schumacher won seven Formula One titles (2 with Benetton and 5 with Ferrari) before equaling his British record with Lewis Hamilton.

The German won 91 victories in the first category, losing to Hamilton (103).

Source: AFP.