Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta has ‘interviewed’ the AI version of Joaquin Oliver, one of the students killed in the 2018 Parkland high school shooting. It’s straight out of an episode of Black Mirror, and has naturally prompted a load of backlash against the journalist.
It was actually the parents of Joaquin Oliver who made the decision to turn their son into AI, which is something we are not going to judge at all. After all, unless you’ve lost a child yourself, you can’t even begin to imagine the the grief that would lead you to want to create an AI version of them to talk to.
Joaquin’s dad Manuel said: “I understand that this is AI. I don’t want anyone to think that I am in, some way, trying to bring my son back. Sadly, I can’t, right? I wish I could. However, the technology is out there.”
Manuel said one reason he and his wife, Patricia, created the AI of their son was to hear his voice again. “Patricia will spend hours asking questions,” Manuel said. “Like any other mother, she loves to hear Joaquin saying, ‘I love you, mommy.’ And that’s important.”
God, that’s utterly gut-wrenching. But while we’re in no position to judge the parents, we absolutely can judge former CNN journalist Jim Acosta. He’s not a grieving parent, so what’s his excuse for ‘interviewing’ this AI version of a dead 17-year-old?
On his show this week, Acosta had the AI child speaking about gun control on what would’ve been his 25th birthday.
Acosta asked: ‘Joaquin, I would like to know what your solution would be for gun violence.’
Joaquin replied: ‘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. It’s about building a culture of kindness and understanding. What do you think about that?’
Acosta: ‘I think that’s a great idea, Joaquin.’
How is this real life? A highly-regarded journalist (at least formerly) conducting a fake interview with a dead child who has been programmed to agree with him on gun control. Personally I agree with Acosta on the gun control issue, but the fact he’s using this AI bot of a child who was killed in a school shooting to push his politics is just awful on so many levels.
Here’s a clip of it – unsurprisingly, Acosta has turned off the comments:
A show you don’t want to miss at 4p ET / 1p PT. I’ll be having a one of a kind interview with Joaquin Oliver. He died in the Parkland school shooting in 2018. But his parents have created an AI version of their son to deliver a powerful message on gun violence. Plus Texas State… pic.twitter.com/mbdM2WxwUR
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 4, 2025
I mean, you simply cannot call that an interview, can you? Let alone ‘journalism’ (and that’s coming from us). It’s just pure theatre, and exploitative theatre at that.
No matter where you fall on the gun debate in the US – you’ve got to be appalled by this. Here’s hoping this isn’t the state of journalism for the years to come, and that the backlash against Jim Acosta serves as a warning to others in his profession.
For amazing footage of a high school coach disarming a school gunman before he goes on a rampage, click HERE. Well played.
