A SHAMELESS AI-generated Michael Schumacher "interview" shows how "poisoned" bots can be weaponised, an expert has warned.
German magazine Die Aktuelle was slammed after claiming to feature the F1 legend's "first exclusive interview" since his horrific ski crash.
But the article was not all it seemed as it was revealed the article spewed ghoulish claims about Schumacer's health – after being generated by an artificial intelligence-driven chatbot.
The magazine was branded "tasteless" for publishing the phony interview and the iconic racer's family are now reportedly considering legal action against the company.
Lisa Palmer, an AI analyst and expert, told The Sun Online just how dangerous the digital bots can be in these situations – and how they could be used in increasingly scary and dangerous ways.
She warned content like fake AI generated interviews will only become more and more common as the technology developments and is misused by "rotten" actors.
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And while the "interview" with Schuey is ghoulish – AI could be weaponised by in even more dangerous ways, such as faking chats with politicians.
She added that with people already misusing AI, future versions of the systems will become "poisoned" through their machine learning.
Palmer told The Sun Online: "Some of these fakes are such high quality that only a computer can tell the difference between what is fake and what is real."
The expert explained the pending lawsuit by Schumacher's family is the latest round of AI-centred litigation – something which is also going to become increasingly common.
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"Lawsuits are already pending for defamation due to 'lies' being perpetuated by generative AI tools like ChatGPT," she told The Sun Online.
Asked if it's something we will be seeing more in the future she replied: "Yes, fakes in every form – written, voice, and video – are all exploding."
The fake "world exclusive" saw an AI-created version of seven-time F1 champion Schumacher "open up" on his life since suffering a catastrophic brain injury during a family holiday in the French Alps in December 2013.
In the piece, which the magazine claims "sounded deceptively real", Schuey is purported to say: "My life has changed completely since [the accident].
"That was a horrible time for my wife, my children and the whole family."
Palmer warned that following this shocking publication, bad actors who are seeking to grab viewership are going to be tempted to use the AI interview method more.
She even related the nightmare situation to the severity of a chef selling rotten food to their customers.
"A chef who serves rotten food is unethical and puts their customers' health at risk," she said.
"Rotten food leads to personal illness. Rotten reporting leads to societal illness."
After it was revealed that the piece was thrown together using an AI chatbot, readers were left stunned about how much detail it went into about Schumacher's supposed recovery.
Asked how "he" feels today, the AI says: "Much better than years ago. With the help of my team, I can even stand on my own again and even walk a few steps slowly."
The article only revealed at the end of the shambolic "interview" that the entire thing had been created using an AI.
This is the worst possible combination of powerful technology in the hands of unethical people.
Palmer said: "Imagine if a major news outlets ran a fabricated political story that caused an uprising among citizens? This type of unethical reporting is incredibly dangerous.
"This is the worst possible combination of powerful technology in the hands of unethical people.
"Now, imagine that these fake stories become training data for AI systems.
"Newer versions of AI are now 'poisoned' with lies."
Dr Tim Stevens, a cyber security expert from Kings College London also pointed out the challenges posed by AI highlighted by the Schumacher "interview" .
"It will be interesting to see the case for legal action," he told The Sun Online.
He told The Sun Online: "You have to wonder what Die Aktuelle was thinking."
Dr Stevens went on: "Even granting that this might have been some kind of experiment in content production, the readers of Die Aktuelle would not have known this until they had read to the end of the article.
"This is deceitful behaviour by the magazine, which instead plastered the story across it front cover.
"The magazine’s readers should feel aggrieved, although obviously not as much as Schumacher and his family.
"Schumacher’s status as a sporting superstar does not excuse the magazine’s actions. He is a vulnerable person and should have been accorded the dignity he deserves."
He added: "In terms of the wider implications, this should give publishers pause for thought.
"Publishing fallacious material on persons living or dead is terrible practice, regardless of how it is produced."
Even though Die Aktuelle admitted to not actually speaking to Michael or his family, the story concluded with the anonymous writer saying if they had managed to speak to Michael himself it would have been a "real miracle."
Michael has been in a medically induced coma since 2013 and little has been known about his health ever since.
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