The debate around the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) is hotter than ever. There are many questions about how this technology should be regulated, which, for example, in the field of journalism, can call into question the veracity of the information. In fact, at a time when many fake news proliferate and it is difficult to distinguish valid information from false ones, AI can become a new -and more powerful- ally for those who want to create their "false reality", therefore that the deontological debate is served. A new example has emerged this week from Germany.
Ever since Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher suffered a skiing accident in 2013, everything surrounding his state of health is a mystery. On April 15, the cover of the German tabloid magazine Die Aktuelle announced "the first interview" with the former pilot since the tragic event that left him in a coma. The publication is going around the world, and it is not for less, they are selling a scoop, the "world sensation".
But the reality is that the interview is a simulation of what a chat with the former F1 would be like, created through the Artificial Intelligence application 'character.ai', which simulates the responses of famous people.
The German weekly simulates phrases as if Schumacher had recovered from the serious brain injuries he suffered as a result of a ski fall. "How has he been since the accident he suffered in 2013?", Or "My life has changed completely", are some of the phrases that come to put in the mouth of the seven-time Formula 1 world champion.
The indignation in the sports world is maximum, especially considering all the efforts that the pilot's family and especially his wife Corina have made to maintain their privacy after the accident. Many believe the German tabloid has crossed an ethical line.
Next December 29 will be the 10th anniversary of the fateful event. A few weeks after announcing his final retirement from Formula 1, Schumacher suffered a fall in the French Alps, while skiing at the Meribel resort.
Although an emergency helicopter took him to the nearest hospital, the reports were not encouraging from the start. As he fell, Michael violently hit his head on the edge of a rock, causing severe brain damage that required him to undergo surgery on several occasions.
The first operation they performed on him was for a "craniocerebral trauma with a coma that required immediate neurosurgical intervention," where the nurses recognized that the pilot's vital prognosis was compromised. He underwent surgery for the second time in Grenoble, where he spent six months in a coma until he woke up in June 2014. After that, he was transferred to Switzerland, to the hospital in the city of Lausanne and a short time later to his home, where he receives constant care from a medical team and his family.
The accident changed his life forever. His wife, Corinna Schumacher, has always asked for discretion on the subject and on her husband. "Of course I miss Michael every day. We all miss him. But Michael is here. Different, but he is here, and I think that gives us strength," she commented in a Netflix documentary about the life of he. At the moment, no family member has spoken about the false interview with the pilot.
