Acosta Conducts Interview with AI Avatar of Parkland Shooting Victim

Jim Acosta, a journalist formerly with CNN, conducted an interview with an AI-generated avatar of Joaquin Oliver, a teenager who died in the 2018 Parkland school shooting. The interview, published on Acosta's Substack platform, was created in collaboration with Change the Ref, a gun control advocacy organization founded by Oliver's parents. The avatar was developed using artificial intelligence technology to represent Oliver, who would have turned 25 on the day of the interview.

During the conversation, Acosta asked the avatar about potential solutions to gun violence in America. The AI representation responded by suggesting a combination of stronger gun control legislation, mental health support, and community engagement initiatives. The interview also included more personal questions about Oliver's interests, with the avatar sometimes displaying varying levels of natural speech patterns, from robotic to enthusiastic responses.

Following the interview, Acosta spoke with Manuel Oliver, Joaquin's father, who explained that while he understood the avatar was created using AI and wasn't truly bringing his son back, the technology allowed him to hear his son's voice again. Manuel Oliver has previously utilized AI technology to generate his son's likeness and voice for advocacy purposes, including a 2024 campaign where an AI-generated message from Joaquin was used to contact members of Congress regarding gun control legislation.

The interview generated mixed reactions from viewers, with some describing it as unsettling or unusual, while others viewed it as a meaningful advocacy experiment. Acosta, who departed CNN in January 2025 and launched his Substack in February, characterized the AI experiment as "an expression of love from the Oliver family for their son" and suggested that such technological approaches might inspire continued advocacy around gun violence prevention in the United States.