Michael Schumacher's family plans legal action over fake AI interview

In this Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012 file photo, former Mercedes F1 driver Michael Schumacher of Germany pauses during a news conference to announce his retirement from Formula One at the end of 2012 in Suzuka, Japan. It was announced Thursday Aug. 24, 2017 that Michael Schumacher's 18 year old son, Mick, will mark the 25th anniversary of his father's first Formula One win by driving demonstration laps ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, Aug. 27. (Shizuo Kambayashi/AP Photo, File)

The family of Formula One great Michael Schumacher plans to take legal action against a German magazine for publishing what it claimed to be an artificial intelligence-generated interview with Schumacher.

Family spokesperson Sabine Kehm confirmed to The Associated Press by email on Thursday that legal action is being planned over a “fake artificial intelligence interview by German outlet Die Aktuelle."

The magazine printed a photo of the 54-year-old Schumacher on its front page last weekend along with the words: “Michael Schumacher, the first interview!”

The magazine also wrote “it sounds deceptively real" with the supposed quotes attributed to Schumacher generated by AI. Die Aktuelle is one of many tabloid celebrity magazines in Germany.

It was while skiing in the French Alps at Meribel that Schumacher fell in December 2013 and suffered a near-fatal brain injury. His head hit a rock which split open his helmet. Doctors removed blood clots but others were left untouched because they were too deeply embedded in his brain.

Since being transferred from hospital in September 2014, the seven-time F1 champion continues to be cared for privately at a family home in Switzerland.

Schumacher shares the record for most F1 titles with British driver Lewis Hamilton, who drives for Mercedes. Schumacher retired from F1 in 2012 after three seasons with Mercedes and was replaced on the team by Hamilton.