Following the use of AI-generated images in a ZDF news report, director Norbert Himmler has demanded clear rules for handling such material. The ZDF publicly apologized and removed the involved correspondent. The incident was sharply debated in the Bundestag.
In Magdeburg, ZDF director Norbert Himmler spoke about handling AI-generated material during the handover of the Saxony-Anhalt regional studio to new head Andreas Postel. About a week ago, a segment in the "heute journal" on operations by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) drew attention because the editorial team used AI-generated images. The ZDF admitted the error, apologized to viewers in the same program, and recalled New York correspondent Nicola Albrecht effective immediately on Friday.
Himmler emphasized: "We may only use images whose origin we can unequivocally name. And if we don't know exactly, we must say so, then we must label it or, best of all, leave it out." He promised that transparency is the foundation of ZDF's work and that errors would be addressed to learn from them. Democratic opinion-forming requires independent and transparent reporting, Himmler stated.
In the Bundestag, the parliament addressed the issue in a topical hour on the AfD's motion. AfD parliamentarian Martin Erwin Renner criticized the incident as "symptoms of a massive structural imbalance" and spoke of an "ideological collusion" between broadcasters and political power. CDU parliamentarian Ottilie Klein called it a disregard for journalistic standards: "I personally cannot understand how one could come up with the idea of using AI videos in news. They have no place there at all." However, she praised the ZDF's response with an apology and consequences.
