Publishers of a German publication that published a computer-generated "interview" with Michael Schumacher have fired the editor and expressed regret to the late Formula One champion's family.

Since suffering a severe brain injury in a skiing accident while on a family vacation in the French Alps in December 2013, seven-times world champion Schumacher, now 54, has not been seen in public.

This Monday, his family announced that they intended to file a lawsuit against the Essen-based Funke media group, which publishes the weekly magazine Die Aktuelle.

On their website, www.funkemedien.de, Funke issued an apology.

"This offensive and deceptive piece shouldn't have been published. The standards of journalism that we and our readers would expect from a publisher like Funke are in no way met," stated Bianca Pohlmann, managing director of Funke magazines.

"As a result of this article's release, immediate personnel repercussions will be made.

"Die Aktuelle editor-in-chief Anne Hoffmann, who has been in charge of the paper's journalism since 2009, will be released from her responsibilities as of today."

The front cover of the most recent issue of Die Aktuelle featured a smiling photograph of Schumacher with the promise of "Michael Schumacher, the first interview."

As stated in the tagline, "it sounded deceptively real."

The 'quotes' had been generated by AI, it was revealed within.