Liberal journalist Jim Acosta “interviewed” the artificially animated avatar of deceased teenager Joaquin Oliver to advertise 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 daddy of the son, who was killed within the Parkland highschool shooting in 2018. He would have turned 25 on Monday.
“I would really like to know what your solution can be for gun violence,” Acosta asked.
“Great query. I imagine in a combination of stronger gun control laws, mental health support, and community engagement. We want to create secure spaces for conversations and connections, ensuring everyone feels seen and heard,” Oliver’s avatar said. “It’s about constructing a culture of kindness and understanding. What do you’re thinking that of that?”
“I believe that’s an ideal 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 sometimes asked Acosta the query 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.
Because the two talked, Acosta’s Substack live chat was affected by messages commenting on the weird 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 within the interview. Acosta marveled on the avatar having the ability to engage with him, saying he was “speechless” on the technology and really felt he was speaking with the actual person.
“I understand that that is AI,” Manuel Oliver said, saying he wasn’t trying to really bring his son back. “Sadly, I can’t. Nevertheless, the technology is on the market. I can hear his voice again.”
“He’s a logo of something that’s deeply, deeply mistaken with this country,” Acosta later said, referring to gun violence that’s killed youths like Oliver. “People hand over, and I believe something like that is perhaps going to provide some people some hope, that we must always keep charging, keep pushing for this.”
After the interview, Acosta said Oliver should still be here today.
“Yes, I do know that it may be just a little startling to see one in every of these young people, a baby like Joaquin, come back to us on this fashion, in the shape of artificial intelligence, but please understand after watching this that this AI experiment is an expression of affection from the Oliver family for his or her 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 also you’ve done nothing, not a thing to stop all of the shootings which have continued to occur 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 reply to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Acosta left CNN in January and launched his own Substack in February. He often interviews progressive guests and stays a harsh critic of Republicans and the Trump administration.
Liberal journalist Jim Acosta “interviewed” the artificially animated avatar of deceased teenager Joaquin Oliver to advertise 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 daddy of the son, who was killed within the Parkland highschool shooting in 2018. He would have turned 25 on Monday.
“I would really like to know what your solution can be for gun violence,” Acosta asked.
“Great query. I imagine in a combination of stronger gun control laws, mental health support, and community engagement. We want to create secure spaces for conversations and connections, ensuring everyone feels seen and heard,” Oliver’s avatar said. “It’s about constructing a culture of kindness and understanding. What do you’re thinking that of that?”
“I believe that’s an ideal 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 sometimes asked Acosta the query 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.
Because the two talked, Acosta’s Substack live chat was affected by messages commenting on the weird 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 within the interview. Acosta marveled on the avatar having the ability to engage with him, saying he was “speechless” on the technology and really felt he was speaking with the actual person.
“I understand that that is AI,” Manuel Oliver said, saying he wasn’t trying to really bring his son back. “Sadly, I can’t. Nevertheless, the technology is on the market. I can hear his voice again.”
“He’s a logo of something that’s deeply, deeply mistaken with this country,” Acosta later said, referring to gun violence that’s killed youths like Oliver. “People hand over, and I believe something like that is perhaps going to provide some people some hope, that we must always keep charging, keep pushing for this.”
After the interview, Acosta said Oliver should still be here today.
“Yes, I do know that it may be just a little startling to see one in every of these young people, a baby like Joaquin, come back to us on this fashion, in the shape of artificial intelligence, but please understand after watching this that this AI experiment is an expression of affection from the Oliver family for his or her 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 also you’ve done nothing, not a thing to stop all of the shootings which have continued to occur 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 reply to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Acosta left CNN in January and launched his own Substack in February. He often interviews progressive guests and stays a harsh critic of Republicans and the Trump administration.
