Journalist faces intense backlash after interviewing AI generation of student killed in school shooting

A journalist is facing intense backlash after 'interviewing' an AI-generated version of a student killed in the 2018 Parkland high school shooting.

It was only a matter of time before an interview involving artificial intelligence finally appeared on our screens, as the experimental technology intertwines itself into every aspect of our lives.

In the past couple of years, we've seen ABBA turn themselves into avatars performing a never-ending concert for fans, Kim Kardashian receive a 40th birthday message from a talking hologram of her deceased father, and Eminem chat to a computer-generated version of his persona Slim Shady to promote an album.

However, the concept of an AI talking head has now entered the world of news journalism, as former CNN anchor Jim Acosta interviewed a computer generated version of a student killed in a school shooting.

In the interview, which was posted on Acosta's Substack page, the 54-year-old spoke to an animated image of Joaquin Oliver, which had been created with the permission of his father Manuel and trained by using Oliver's real life writings.

He begins by asking AI Oliver what happened to him, to which he responds: "I was taken from this world too soon due to gun violence while at school. It’s important to talk about these issues so we can create a safer future for everyone."

Oliver was one 17 students killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida by gunman Nikolas Cruz on 14 February 2018. Had he lived, it would've been Oliver's 25th birthday when the interview was released.

The AI image then begins to advocate for further gun safety laws, adding: "We need to create safe spaces for conversations and connections, making everyone feel seen and heard. It’s about building a culture of kindness and understanding."

The interview, as well as Acosta's hopes of helping keep the memory of a school shooting victim alive, sparked controversy, as not everyone has been supportive of the move.

Reactions on social media were a mix of shock and revulsion towards the journalist. Acosta has since turned off comments on his X post, but the backlash is still going on over on his BlueSky page.

"This is unconscionable, ghoulish, and manipulative. How dehumanized [sic] do you have to be to think this was a good idea," read one reply.

"You don't have an interview. You're facilitating a grotesque puppet show, using grieving parent's heartbreak for a bit," added a second person, while a third wrote: "Man this is so gross, even if his parents signed off on it. You should not do this. Interview one of the many, many, many living victims of gun violence instead."

Acosta has since defended the decision to publish the interview with AI Oliver, telling The Independent that he was 'honoured' to have taken part in memorialising the 17-year-old.

"His father approached me to do the story... to keep the memory of his son alive," Acosta explained before showing the interview.

He also shared a clip of Manuel talking about the project in response to the backlash, in which the grieving father tells the camera: "Thanks to AI we can bring him [our son] back.

"It was our idea, it was our plan."