Pupil recounts dropping sister in Parkland
Lots of the college students who attended Marjorie Stoneman Douglas Excessive College in Florida, the place a gunman opened fireplace in 2018, graduated and went on to attend Florida State College, the place one other mass capturing happened Thursday. Alyssa Alhadeff was among the many college students killed on that day in Parkland, Fla. and now her brother, Robbie, is a pupil at FSU. He spoke with LiveNOW from FOX’s Josh Breslow about what occurred.
LOS ANGELES – Former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta shared a brand new video Monday wherein he interviews a synthetic intelligence-generated model of Joaquin Oliver, one of many 17 folks killed within the 2018 mass capturing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Excessive College in Parkland, Florida.
The avatar, animated from an actual {photograph} utilizing generative AI, seems carrying a beanie and speaks in a monotone digital voice. The section opens with Acosta asking, “What occurred to you?” to which the AI model of Oliver responds, “I used to be taken from this world too quickly resulting from gun violence whereas at college. It’s essential to speak about these points so we will create a safer future for everybody.”
The actions of the avatar’s face are barely jerky and the pacing of the narration computerized. Nonetheless, Acosta described the interplay as highly effective and referred to as it “a considered one of a sort interview” in his social media promotion of the episode.
Why did Acosta interview an AI model of Joaquin Oliver?
The backstory:
Joaquin Oliver was 17 years previous when he was killed within the hallway of his highschool on Valentine’s Day. In accordance with the undertaking Since Parkland, Oliver liked writing and introduced flowers to highschool that day for his girlfriend. He would have turned 25 this week.
The AI recreation was developed by Oliver’s mother and father, who invited Acosta to be the primary journalist to interview it. Acosta spoke with Joaquin’s father, Manuel Oliver, throughout the video and instructed him, “I actually felt like I used to be talking with Joaquin. It’s only a lovely factor.”
Former CNN correspondent Jim Acosta is seen in Washington, D.C. Acosta lately revealed a video interview that includes an AI-generated avatar of Parkland capturing sufferer Joaquin Oliver. (Picture by MANDEL NGAN/AFP by way of Getty Pictures)
Manuel Oliver acknowledged that the know-how can’t carry again his son however mentioned it was a blessing to listen to his voice once more. He additionally mentioned he appears to be like ahead to seeing how AI can be utilized additional sooner or later.
Acosta left CNN in January and now describes himself as an unbiased journalist, publishing content material by his Substack weblog and social channels.
What they’re saying:
Using AI to recreate deceased people has prompted wide-ranging dialogue round each ethics and innovation. Whereas some critics on-line questioned the selection to simulate the voice and likeness of an actual capturing sufferer, others seen it as a significant instrument for advocacy.
Acosta said within the section that the undertaking was initiated by Joaquin’s mother and father, and that his intention was to assist inform the story of an adolescent whose life was lower quick by gun violence.
In response to the video, one person on the social platform Bluesky wrote: “There live survivors of college shootings you would interview, and it could actually be their phrases and ideas as a substitute of fully made-up.”
Feedback have been disabled on a teaser for the video shared on X.
The know-how used within the section displays rising curiosity in AI avatars and digital memorialization, nevertheless it additionally surfaces questions on consent, authenticity, and emotional affect.
The place else has AI been used to recreate Parkland victims?
This isn’t the primary time Joaquin Oliver’s voice has been re-created utilizing synthetic intelligence. In 2024, his mother and father had been a part of a undertaking referred to as The Shotline, which used AI-generated voices of six victims—together with Oliver—to put robocalls to members of Congress urging motion on gun reform.
One of many calls featured Oliver’s AI voice saying: “I’m again in the present day as a result of my mother and father used AI to recreate my voice to name you. What number of calls will it take so that you can care? What number of lifeless voices will you hear earlier than you lastly hear?”
AI recreations have additionally been utilized in courtrooms. In a single 2024 case, an AI avatar of a highway rage sufferer was performed throughout a sentencing listening to in Arizona. The video featured the recreated sufferer delivering an affect assertion to the defendant, ending with a message of forgiveness. The presiding choose praised the second, saying, “I liked that AI, thanks for that… I really feel that that was real.”
What’s subsequent:
As generative AI instruments proceed to evolve, so too does their function in grief, reminiscence, and advocacy. The know-how stays imperfect—typically producing robotic speech or unnatural visuals—however its emotional resonance is pushing households, legal professionals, and journalists to discover new potentialities.
On the similar time, consultants proceed to warn that the rise of AI avatars opens the door to misinformation, id misuse, and blurred strains between actual and simulated experiences. Ongoing discussions in each the tech and ethics communities are more likely to form future use of the know-how in memorials, media, and past.
The Supply: This report is predicated on a video interview posted by Jim Acosta on social media, wherein he spoke with an AI-generated avatar of Parkland capturing sufferer Joaquin Oliver. Extra context and reactions had been reported by FOX Information, which coated the interview and its use of AI to advertise conversations round gun violence.
