Liberal journalist Jim Acosta “interviewed” the artificially animated avatar of deceased teenager Joaquin Oliver to promote a gun control message on Monday.
Working with the gun control group Change the Ref, founded by Oliver’s parents, Acosta had a conversation on his Substack with an avatar created by the father of the son, who was killed in the Parkland high school shooting in 2018. He would have turned 25 on Monday.
“I would like to know what your solution would be for gun violence,” Acosta asked.
“Great question. I believe in a mix of stronger gun control laws, mental health support, and community engagement. We need to create safe spaces for conversations and connections, making sure everyone feels seen and heard,” Oliver’s avatar said. “It’s about building a culture of kindness and understanding. What do you think of that?”
“I think that’s a great idea, Joaquin,” the ex-CNN correspondent said.
Acosta also asked questions like what Oliver’s favorite team, movies and TV shows were. The avatar answered and often asked Acosta the question back, sometimes sounding robotic, sometimes highly enthusiastic.
“Star Wars is such an epic saga. The adventures, the characters and that iconic music are unforgettable,” Oliver’s avatar said at one point.
As the two talked, Acosta’s Substack live chat was littered with messages commenting on the unusual scene, with some calling it “creepy,” “weird,” and “unsettling,” while others found it an interesting and even touching experiment.
Afterward, Acosta spoke to Oliver’s father, Manuel, who thanked him for his participation in the interview. Acosta marveled at the avatar being able to engage with him, saying he was “speechless” at the technology and really felt he was speaking with the actual person.
“I understand that this is AI,” Manuel Oliver said, saying he wasn’t trying to truly bring his son back. “Sadly, I can’t. However, the technology is out there. I can hear his voice again.”
“He’s a symbol of something that is deeply, deeply wrong with this country,” Acosta later said, referring to gun violence that’s killed youths like Oliver. “People give up, and I think something like this is maybe going to give some people some hope, that we should keep charging, keep pushing for this.”
After the interview, Acosta said Oliver should still be here today.
“Yes, I know that it might be a little startling to see one of these young people, a child like Joaquin, come back to us in this fashion, in the form of artificial intelligence, but please understand after watching this that this AI experiment is an expression of love from the Oliver family for their son,” he said.
Oliver’s likeness had been generated by his father using AI before. One example was in 2024, when an AI-generated message of his voice was used to call members of Congress to push voting for gun control measures.
“It’s been six years, and you’ve done nothing, not a thing to stop all the shootings that have continued to happen since,” the message said. “I died that day in Parkland, my body was destroyed by a weapon of war.”
Change the Ref didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Acosta left CNN in January and launched his own Substack in February. He regularly interviews progressive guests and remains a harsh critic of Republicans and the Trump administration.
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