Former CNN anchor’s AI interview with Parkland victim sparks outrage

Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta faced widespread backlash for conducting what he called a “one of a kind interview” with an AI avatar of Joaquin Oliver, a 17-year-old victim of the 2018 Parkland school shooting. The controversial segment, which aired on Monday and was created by Oliver’s parents to send a “powerful message on gun violence,” instead sparked outrage over its tone-deaf use of AI technology to recreate a deceased shooting victim.

What happened: Acosta interviewed an AI recreation of Oliver, one of 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Miami, asking the avatar what had happened to him.

• “I was taken from this world too soon due to gun violence while at school,” the AI responded in a robotic tone, its face appearing “jerky and misshapen” according to reports.
• The interview was facilitated by Oliver’s father, Manuel Oliver, as part of ongoing efforts to advocate for gun control.

The backlash: Critics immediately condemned the interview as insensitive and ethically questionable, with many pointing out the availability of living survivors who could share authentic experiences.

• Tech journalist Kelsey Atherton called the AI avatar “a cursed golem and a full delusion,” arguing that “gun control deserves better.”
• Social media users described the interview as “absolutely deranged” and compared it to “having a conversation with your microwave.”
• One user noted: “There are living survivors of school shootings you could interview, and it would really be their words and thoughts instead of completely made up.”

Broader AI concerns: The incident reflects growing public wariness about inappropriate uses of AI technology, particularly in sensitive contexts involving death and grief.

• Users expressed discomfort with AI’s potential to exploit grief, with one person sharing: “Just passed two years without my Mom, and I can’t imagine using AI to make a video or photo that never happened.”
• Another commented: “It’s a really dangerous precedent to set for people who aren’t dealing with their grief and giving it more power over them than it should.”

Previous precedent: This isn’t the first time AI has been used to recreate Parkland victims or deceased individuals for advocacy purposes.

• Last year, parents of Parkland victims used deepfaked voices of six deceased students and staff in a robocalling campaign to convince Congress members.
• Similar AI resurrection projects have emerged, including families using AI to revive road rage victims and startups offering conversations with deceased loved ones.

What Acosta said: Despite the criticism, the former CNN anchor defended the interview, telling Oliver’s father: “I really felt like I was speaking with Joaquin. It’s just a beautiful thing.”

Why this matters: The controversy highlights the ethical challenges surrounding AI’s use in sensitive contexts, particularly when dealing with tragedy and grief, as gun violence remains a leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States.