On Aug 4, 2025, ex-CNN anchor Jim Acosta released an interview that quickly divided public opinion. In the video, Acosta spoke with an AI-generated version of Joaquin Oliver, a student who was killed during the 2018 Parkland school shooting. The conversation aired on what would have been Oliver’s 25th birthday.
The AI model, created by Oliver’s parents, Patricia and Manuel, was built using both general information about him as well as Joaquin’s writing, posts, and spoken words. While the digital likeness responded with moving lips and minimal facial gestures, viewers were reminded that it was not real.
“This is a very legit Joaquin,” said Manuel, who joined Acosta in a follow-up conversation.
Acosta talks to AI-generated Joaquin Oliver about gun reform
The interview included questions about gun control, which the AI version answered with robotic talking points, asking at the end, “What do you think about that?” Later, the discussion shifted to lighter topics like basketball and favorite movies.
The AI-generated Joaquin expressed strong support for stricter gun laws, mental health care, and community outreach. It emphasized kindness and empathy as key parts of any solution. “We need to create safe spaces for conversations and connections, making everyone feels seen and heard. It’s about building a culture of kindness and understanding,” the generated video of the victim said, echoing values his real-life counterpart may have held.
Toward the end of the segment, Acosta and the victim’s father discussed the motivation behind the project. Although Manuel admitted that nothing could bring back his son, he felt AI gave Joaquin a voice in the ongoing gun reform conversation. “Now, Joaquin is going to start having followers… He’s going to start uploading videos,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”
This wasn’t the first time AI had been used to recreate Oliver’s voice. In 2023, a campaign called The Shotline featured AI versions of six gun violence victims, including Joaquin, making calls to lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
Since losing his son, Manuel Oliver has remained a high-profile activist. He’s protested at presidential speeches, disrupted Congressional hearings, and even toured the U.S. with a one-man play about Joaquin.
Using AI to keep his son’s memory active is just his latest move. Additionally, he noted that his wife Patricia sometimes spends hours speaking to the AI Joaquin, which is potentially concerning given the rise in reports of LLMs sending people into AI-induced psychosis.
Critics question the ethics of the AI “interview”
Reactions to the interview were immediate, with the vast majority of people finding the digital resurrection unsettling. Many commenters questioned whether using AI in such an emotional context crossed a moral line.
@ratlpolicy tweeted, “This is genuinely evil. People who have died should stay dead. Reviving them for politics is grotesque.”
Critics online voiced concerns about exploitation and consent, especially as the AI version spoke about sensitive political topics. Some argued that Joaquin could not approve or reject the views being attributed to him.
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