Artificial Intelligence has been making its way into various industries and domains, including journalism, for some time. Supporters and critics have been arguing about the various pros and cons extensively, yet aside from that, it’s also started to emerge in some curious ways.
One example of this was seen in the Formula One world when an AI-generated interview with the legendary driver Michael Schumacher led to one of the biggest controversies of the year.
In the new era of AI-powered technology, it’s an issue that may start to become more common.
Here’s how the drama unfolded.
The positive side of AI
Some AI critics have warned that the technology is set to cost people jobs and bring down entire industries, but it’s not all bad news. In fact, we’re already starting to see the benefits of AI in many global sectors.
In healthcare, for example, AI can analyze vast amounts of data in a fraction of the time that it would take a human, leading to improved disease detection, diagnosis, and treatment. In patient-facing treatments, AI-powered chatbots can provide round-the-clock access to medical advice and support. These benefits, among others, make AI a valuable tool in the healthcare industry.
The entertainment sector is set to benefit from AI, too. In the world of gaming, AI has not only helped to optimize game designs, but it’s helping players find their ideal games instantly. A simple voice command into ChatGPT will draw up a list of games they will probably love to play on: it even takes on incomplete instructions, so a broken command like ‘Best slot sites in UK’, for example, will lead them to the list of specially curated options.
Journalists in Germany, however, have been using it for far more elaborate uses, as the recent Schumacher saga revealed. But just what happened exactly?
How AI generated the Schumacher interview
For all the perks of AI, the dangers of the technology are plentiful, and many are not that well-known. Deepfaking is one example, the practice of using artificial intelligence to digitally alter videos so convincingly that the viewer finds it very difficult to separate fiction from reality. The internet is full of hauntingly good examples of that.
AI-generated interviews follow a similar vein. Although not as impactful as videos, they still have the potential to cause significant harm. The Schumacher article came about as a practical joke but has generated considerable controversy.
Journalists at German magazine Die Aktuelle created it using old quotes from the driver, which were fed into an algorithm that generated new responses based on the patterns in Schumacher’s language. The resulting interview was then edited by the journalists, who provided context and additional questions.
The late April edition of Die Aktuelle ran a front cover with a picture of a smiling Schumacher and the headline promising “Michael Schumacher, the first interview”. The strapline added: “it sounded deceptively real”. Inside, it emerged the quotes had been produced by AI.
When the magazine published the interview, it initially claimed that it was based on a recent conversation with Schumacher and ran with the headline “Michael Schumacher, the first interview” along with a smiling image of the former F1 driver. They later retracted the claim and apologized.
The reaction was severe. The family of Schumacher, who hasn’t appeared in public since a French Alps skiing accident left him severely injured, immediately threatened legal action. Funke, the media group who owns Die Aktuelle, also said they would sue their own magazine calling it a “tasteless and misleading article that should never have appeared.”
This controversy surrounding the interview highlights the potential pitfalls of relying solely on AI-generated content in journalism in the future, with many possible consequences.
The unfortunate consequences
As well as the distress caused to Schumacher’s family and the intended legal action from two parties, the episode also led directly to job losses. Editor-in-chief of the magazine Anne Hoffmann, who has been in the role since 2009, was told she would be “relieved of her duties immediately”.
F1 fans, too, suffered after being led to believe that their hero driver was on the road back to public appearances. While this is still possible in the future, the truth is that Schumacher is likely to need much more recovery time before such a scenario is possible.
This controversy surrounding the interview highlights the potential pitfalls of relying on AI-generated content in journalism in the future. Indeed, this unfortunate event may just be the tip of the iceberg with what such techniques could do in a dystopian-sounding future.
As AI technology continues to advance, it’s going to be crucial for authorities to compel people to use it ethically and with caution, ensuring that human oversight and accountability are always in place.
The future of accurate and truthful journalism may well depend on it.