Backlash after ‘interview’ with AI avatar of US school shooting victim
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Former CNN White House chief correspondent Jim Acosta (left) interviewing an AI avatar of Parkland school shooting victim Joaquin Oliver.
SCREENSHOTS: YOUTUBE/JIM ACOSTA
- Jim Acosta interviewed an AI avatar of Joaquin Oliver, a victim of the Parkland school shooting, sparking online criticism.
- Critics, including Joe Concha and Kirsten Fleming, deemed the interview "sick" and "grotesque," questioning its value in advocating gun control.
- Despite Oliver's parents' approval, the interview faced backlash, raising concerns about ethical AI use and Acosta's editorial judgment, according to Poynter.
AI generated
NEW YORK - Independent journalist Jim Acosta faced a torrent of online criticism on Aug 6 after he posted an “interview” conducted with an AI avatar of a US school shooting victim.
Former CNN White House chief correspondent Mr Acosta interacted with a virtual likeness of Joaquin Oliver, one of the 17 people killed in the Parkland, Florida school shooting in 2018.
Mr Acosta, a long-standing hate figure for some supporters of US President Donald Trump who often derided the veteran Washington correspondent, has long been an advocate for increased gun control.
The clip posted on Mr Acosta’s YouTube channel on Aug 4 to coincide with what would have been Oliver’s 25th birthday has gathered more than 22,000 views.
On the Guy Benson Show on Fox News, conservative columnist Joe Concha said of the segment, “It’s just sick.”
Mr Acosta said that Oliver’s parents Manuel and Patricia “have created an AI version of their son to deliver a powerful message on gun violence” after falling victim to one of the deadliest US mass shootings.
In the interview, Mr Acosta asks Oliver, who was killed aged 17, what happened to him.
Despite having the blessing of Oliver’s parents, critics said the approach was tasteless and did not advance the campaign against gun violence.
“It was more of a bizarre AI demonstration than an interview,” wrote columnist Kirsten Fleming in the New York Post tabloid.
“It’s also false. And grotesque. Like a dystopian plot come to life.”
In the clip, Oliver’s likeness gives opinions on how to counter gun violence.
“I was taken from this world too early while at school due to gun violence,” says a metallic, sped-up voice synthesised to sound like Oliver’s.
“It’s important to talk about these issues so we can create a safer future for everyone.”
In an opinion piece published on Aug 6, journalism institute Poynter suggested that Mr Acosta’s move from major media outlet CNN to an independent operation where he operates without an editorial support mechanism was behind his judgment.
“I hope Jim Acosta decides to phone a friend next time. We’ve all got a lot of figuring out to do,” it said.
It is not the first time artificial intelligence has been used to highlight the impact of the Parkland shooting.
In 2024, US lawmakers heard recreations of Oliver’s voice and those of other victims in AI phone call recordings demanding to know why action had not been taken on gun control.
On Feb 14, 2018, then 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, a town north of Miami, carrying a high-powered AR-15 rifle.
He had been expelled from the school a year earlier for disciplinary reasons.
In a matter of nine minutes, he killed 14 students and three school employees, then fled by mixing in with people frantically escaping the gruesome scene.
Police arrested Cruz shortly thereafter as he walked along the street. He pleaded guilty to the massacre to the massacre in 2021 and was sentenced to life without parole a year later. AFP
