There are lines that must not be crossed. And the Schumacher family always made sure all the media knew about it. Since Michael Schumacher suffered a skiing accident that completely changed his life in December 2023, little is known about the state of the German’s health due to the expressed will of his wife, Corinna, to respect the privacy of the 7-time world champion. But not everyone respects it. This is the case with the publication of an alleged interview recently published by a German weekly ‘Die actuelle’, that sell on their cover that they have “the first interview” with Michael Schumacher, a “world sensation” published on a double page.
But in reality, the so-called “interview” is nothing more than a simulation of what it would be like to chat with the former F1 man, created by an Artificial Intelligence web page that mimics the responses of famous people . It didn’t take long for Twitter to explode against the magazine and it is still being investigated whether the family will take action against the publication.
Answers like Michael
In the text, on double pages, without the signature of any editor, it is not specified at any time that it is a simulation. A “sounds deceptively real” seems alert, but in a timid way. The only thing that gets through is that it’s not really an interview and it’s all the work of those Artificial intelligence when at the end of the article you will read the following: “Did Michael Schumacher really say all this? The interview is online. On a page dealing with artificial intelligence, or AI for short.”
To create said text, the German outlet used the “character.ai” application.which allows you to speak in imitation of famous people, answering questions in a way that the Artificial Intelligence considers that the character in question will speak using information from the previous statements of those this personality.
“No scattered, vague half-sentences from friends. Your answers! By Michael Schumacher! Here it is: the amazing interview! With redemptive answers to the most burning questions of a long time everyone is asking,” the magazine said.
“How have you been since the accident you had in 2013?” or “How are you today?”are some of the questions this publication asks in the text, even asking the supposed interviewee if he follows his son Mick’s career.
“My life has completely changed,” is the highlight of this publication on its double page, in quotation marks, as if the phrase had been uttered by Michael Schumacher. Germany exploded on social networks against the said publication.
The same magazine was already controversial in 2014 with ‘Schumi’
This same magazine starred in another scandal with another cover story that angered F1 fans in Germany. It was in 2014. On that cover they used an image of Michael Schumacher from the past, with the following headline: “The luck! He sits in the sun.”
To illustrate that photo, the magazine used a photo of Michael Schumacher that led the reader to believe it was taken during his recovery process. And inside the magazine, in the text, the publication explained that Michael needed a wheelchair and was “pushed to the terrace by his wife Corinna on clear summer days.” But actually, the photo they used was a snapshot from the past taken in Saint-Moritz, Switzerland, a year before Michael’s accident.
Another scandal on the list
In these more than 6 years, many rumors appeared in the international press about Michael’s true state. In 2019, the ‘Daily Mail’ pointed out that the seven-time world champion is possibly not in a bed, nor does he need to be connected to a medical device to keep him alive. But the family had no reaction to such information. Yes, he did it years ago, filing a lawsuit against the German magazine ‘Bunte’ after giving false hope about Michael’s recovery with information they considered false.
It should also be noted that shortly after Schumacher’s accident, a journalist was accused of impersonating a priest to try to enter his hospital room. In addition, in 2016, ‘RTL’ reported that the police, together with the police, were investigating the alleged attempt to sell a photograph of Schumacher at his house in Geneva, the value of which was thought to reach one million euros.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
