German Magazine Editor Is Fired Over Fake Michael Schumacher Interview

The publisher of a German magazine that ran what it described as a “world sensation” interview with the retired Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher, but used responses written by artificial intelligence, has fired the magazine’s editor and apologized to Mr. Schumacher’s family.

Mr. Schumacher, 54, retreated from public life after he suffered a brain injury in a skiing accident nearly a decade ago, and his family has guarded his privacy fiercely since then. The front cover of the April 15 issue of the celebrity magazine Die Aktuelle promoted the interview with Mr. Schumacher, who is German, as his first since the accident: “das erste interview.”

The front cover included the words “It sounds deceptively real,” hinting that the interview might not be what it seemed.

Inside the magazine, quotations from Mr. Schumacher about his family and health appeared alongside photos of him smiling and photos of his children. The article explained that all the quotations attributed to Mr. Schumacher had been generated by artificial intelligence.

Mr. Schumacher’s family has been…