Last week, before the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, a judge ruled that the magazine Die Aktuelle must pay the Schumacher family €200,000 as compensation for the distress caused by the fabricated interview.
In an interview with the Offshore Poker Sites media team, F1 champion Herbert expressed his strong disapproval: “Die Aktuelle should be ashamed of themselves for the ‘AI interview’ of Schumacher. Michael and Corinna will be upset, but the €200,000 compensation is a significant outcome.
“The court’s decision is positive for the Schumacher family. However, this situation should never have reached this point. It highlights the fact that, while AI technology has its benefits, there are also negative aspects that people are willing to exploit for financial gain.
“I believe the magazine, as well as other publications, should be aware that this should never happen again, under any circumstances. Whoever allowed the interview to be published in the magazine should feel ashamed.”
Since his nearly fatal skiing accident in December 2013, Michael Schumacher’s condition has been closely guarded by his family, led by his wife Corinna. For over ten years, only the family and his closest circle have had access to the F1 legend, who reportedly requires 24-hour care and is confined to a wheelchair.
Herbert, who was Schumacher’s teammate at Benetton in 1995, added: “This would have deeply upset Michael and Corinna, his wife, extremely angry. However, the decision is a positive outcome for the Schumacher family.
“I genuinely feel very sorry for the Schumachers and their family, as this incident must have caused a lot of pain and stress. It must have been a terrible situation for the Schumacher family to wake up to an interview with Michael’s face on the cover, claiming to be the ‘first interview’, when in reality it was generated by AI technology.
“It is truly devastating for the family. This should never have happened and the magazine should be held accountable,” insisted Herbert.
After the publication of the fake AI-generated interview with Michael Schumacher, Die Aktuelle’s editor-in-chief, Anne Hoffmann, was fired. The magazine featured the headline: “Michael Schumacher. The first interview. A worldwide sensation.”
Michael’s current state, at 55 years old, was best described by his former Ferrari manager and close friend Jean Todt: “Michael is here, so I don’t miss him. But he’s just not the Michael he used to be. He has changed and is being wonderfully cared for by his wife and children, who protect him.”
Ralf Schumacher, brother of the racing legend, spoke to Bild and said: “His life is not the same anymore. Life can be unfair sometimes. Michael often had luck in his life, but then this tragic accident happened. Fortunately, we were able to do a lot thanks to modern medical advances, but still, nothing compares to how things used to be.”
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Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen achieved an impressive victory at the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday. The young Dutchman, only 26 years old, dominated the race from the start and crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead over his competitors.
Verstappen, who races for the Red Bull Racing team, showed exceptional performance throughout the weekend, securing pole position in Saturday’s qualifying. He maintained the lead from the start and didn’t give his rivals a chance.
The second place went to Lewis Hamilton, from Mercedes, who struggled to get closer to Verstappen, but couldn’t catch him. The British, seven-time world champion, had a solid race, but didn’t have enough speed to threaten the Dutchman.
In third place, we had Ferrari’s driver, Charles Leclerc, who also had an impressive performance. The young Monegasque managed to stay ahead of his teammate, Carlos Sainz, and secured a spot on the podium.
The race was also marked by some incidents. At the beginning of the race, there was a collision between Valtteri Bottas, from Mercedes, and Sergio Perez, from Red Bull. Both drivers had to retire from the race, causing a red flag.
Overall, the Spanish Grand Prix was an exciting and action-packed race. Verstappen once again showed why he is considered one of the best drivers of today, and his victory puts him in an even stronger position in the world championship.
The next stage of the Formula 1 season will be the Monaco Grand Prix, which will take place next weekend. It will be interesting to see if Verstappen will be able to maintain his dominant performance and achieve another impressive victory.
