New York (AFP) – Independent journalist Jim Acosta faced a torrent of online criticism Wednesday after he posted an “interview” conducted with an AI avatar of a US school shooting victim. Former CNN White House chief correspondent Acosta interacted with a virtual likeness of Joaquin Oliver, one of the 17 people killed in the Parkland, Florida school shooting in 2018. Acosta, a long-standing hate figure for some supporters of President Donald Trump who often derided the veteran Washington correspondent, has long been an advocate for increased gun control.
The clip posted on Acosta’s YouTube channel on August 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.” Acosta stated 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, Acosta asks Oliver, who was killed aged 17, what happened to him. Despite having the blessing of Oliver’s parents, critics argued that 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 synthesized 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 Wednesday, journalism institute Poynter suggested that 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. Last year, 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 February 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 in 2021 and was sentenced to life without parole a year later.
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