AI Version of Parkland Victim Used in Gun Control Interview Sparks Public Backlash

In brief

Former CNN host Jim Acosta interviewed an AI-generated avatar of Parkland victim Joaquin Oliver as part of a gun reform campaign.
The segment, released on what would have been Oliver’s 25th birthday, was created with his parents and advocacy group Change the Ref.
Critics called the video “unsettling,” raising ethical concerns over AI recreations of the deceased in public media.

An AI-generated avatar of Joaquin Oliver, a victim of the 2018 Parkland school shooting, appeared in an interview published by former CNN reporter Jim Acosta as part of a digital campaign for gun reform.

The segment, created in collaboration with Oliver’s parents and advocacy group Change the Ref, drew sharp criticism over the ethics of using AI recreations of the deceased in public media.

The video was released on what would have been Joaquin’s 25th birthday, Acosta said Monday. In it, Acosta interviewed the AI avatar, which answered questions with responses generated from Joaquin’s past writings.

His father, Manuel Oliver, appeared alongside the digital recreation and defended its use as part of the family’s ongoing advocacy.

“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,” the father said. “ Sadly, I can’t, right? I wish I could. However, the technology is out there.”

Oliver was one of 17 victims killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

It was one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history and led to widespread national debate over gun control laws. In its aftermath, student survivors launched the March for Our Lives movement, which pushed for stricter gun regulations.

“Insane, unsettling”

Critics across social media platforms described the interview as “insane” and “unsettling,” with commenters raising concerns about consent, emotional impact, and the potential for misrepresenting the deceased.

Still, some responses expressed sympathy, even among those who did not share the family’s policy views on gun control, saying they could “100% sympathize with the parents” for trying to preserve their son’s memory.

“If your child dies for whatever reason, you do all you can to keep their memory alive,” one commenter replied on X.

Others questioned whether the format crossed ethical boundaries by simulating a conversation with someone who cannot speak for themselves.

“You’re having a conversation with an advanced word processor,” another commenter noted on X.

Change the Ref had previously used AI in a 2024 campaign called “The Shotline,” which featured recorded messages from victims of gun violence directed at lawmakers, including Oliver’s.

Those messages were prewritten and delivered using synthesized voices. While that effort also generated debate, some saw it as more restrained than simulating an interactive interview.

In 2024, University of Cambridge researchers warned that AI recreations of the dead raise serious ethical concerns. They called for clear consent rules, age limits, transparency, and respectful ways to retire digital avatars.