May 3, 2026, 3:18 pm | Read time: 2 minutes
Textbooks are considered a central source of knowledge for children and adolescents and must be created with care. A publisher from Kerpen is now suspected of having partially delegated this task to artificial intelligence. The result is said to contain numerous errors.
Anomalies in Assignments and Illustrations
Materials for children and adolescents with special educational needs from grades 1 to 11 are reportedly affected. The publication “Spiegel” noted that an author supposedly wrote 34 workbooks in five years–an unusually high number.
Upon reviewing the content, several errors were found. For instance, math problems in textbooks were incorrectly illustrated, making them unsolvable. The illustrations also appeared unusual: According to the publisher, they were created by an illustrator but contain features typical of earlier AI image generators.
Erroneous Representations in History Content
Particularly serious issues are said to occur in a history book for grades 8 to 11. It refers to France as the Soviet Union and places Russia on the French Atlantic coast. Additionally, an image of Adolf Hitler with a distorted version of “Mein Kampf” is included. Other illustrations reportedly show unusual errors, such as people with too many fingers, deformed faces, or elephants without trunks.
Also of interest: Revealed! AI for companies more expensive than human staff
Apple Endangers User Group Due to Security Flaws in the App Store
Apple and Google Allegedly Promoted Banned Nudify Apps
Identity of the Author Unclear
The alleged author “Anni Kolvenbach” is unreachable for inquiries and reportedly does not exist. The photo used comes from a stock photo archive. Additionally, a man has come forward claiming to have created at least parts of the history book under this pseudonym. However, the workbooks are not his.
Publisher Responds to Allegations
According to the report, Kohl-Verlag confirmed that various freelance authors work under the mentioned pseudonym. In a statement to “heise,” the publisher stated that all disputed books have been removed from the program. Additionally, internal processes for quality assurance are to be reviewed and improved. Whether AI was actually used in the creation remains open according to the report.