Schumacher Family Awarded Over $200K After AI Interview Controversy

The family of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher has been awarded €200,000 — around $217,000 — after a German magazine published an AI-generated interview that was presented as though it had been with the seven-time champion.

According to a report from ESPN's Nate Saunders, the Schumachers have settled after taking legal action against the magazine Die Aktuelle which ran the AI-generated piece just over a year ago. 

While the article did reveal that the "interview" has been generated using artificial intelligence, the issue it appeared in touted an "exclusive interview" with Schumacher. 

As you may be aware, Schumacher has not been or spoken in publically since sustaining a traumatic brain injury in a skiing wreck in 2013. Schumacher — who last raced in Formula 1 with Mercedes during the 2012 season — was known for preferring his privacy during his career, and since the crash, his family has worked to maintain it.

So, you can understand why they weren't particularly happy about this article.

While the magazine's publisher, Funke Media Group, apologized and sent the editor-in-chief packing, it was too little too late to keep them from having to shell out €200,000 for their troubles.

Michael Schumacher hasn't been seen or heard from in public since a 2013 skiing accident. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images).

This isn't the first run-in that the Schumachers have had with Die Aktuelle. In 2014, just months after Schumacher's incident, the magazine featured him alongside his wife, Corinna, on the cover with the very misleading headline, "AWAKE."

The article that the headline referred to was one about other people who have woken up from comas.

In another instance that led to a court battle, the magazine ran a story about a "new love" in Corrina's life, but the article was actually about her daughter, Gina. Die Aktuelle wound up winning in court.

The family has revealed very little about Schumacher's condition over the years even as they found more attention when Mick Schumacher began competing in Formula 1. He spent two years driving for Haas and now serves as a reserve driver for Mercedes.