'Beyond sick': Jim Acosta pummeled for stunt with AI-generated Parkland victim

Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta was derided as a "ghoul" for his virtual interview with an AI-generated avatar of Joaquin Oliver, one of 17 students and faculty killed in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.

Acosta promoted the event on his X account, writing, "I’ll be having a one of a kind interview with Joaquin Oliver. He died in the Parkland school shooting in 2018. But his parents have created an AI version of their son to deliver a powerful message on gun violence."

Oliver's parents created the bot "to honor their son on what would have been his 25th birthday," according to HuffPost.

“I felt like I was communicating with him, which is just so remarkable,” Acosta said of the interview. He touted it as an example of how AI "might actually do some good, it might help some people who have suffered tremendous losses like your family have a way to hold on to who this person was, which I think is a beautiful thing.”

@CollinRugg, co-owner Trending Politics, called the whole situation "Insane," while @Breaking911 posted, "WTF?! Former CNN host Jim Acosta published a fake AI interview with Parkland shooting victim Joaquin Oliver This is beyond sick."

Conservative watchdog group the Media Research Center, wrote, "Former CNN host Jim Acosta airs macabre AI 'interview' with Parkland shooting victim Joaquin Oliver on what would have been his 25th birthday. If you thought news couldn't get any faker, you were wrong."

@TwitchyTeam posted an article about the event, calling Acosta a "GHOUL!"

Podcaster @JoeTalkShow called Acosta a "garbage human." They added, "I don't care if the father of the innocent teen who was killed is okay with it. Maybe that's his way to deal. Acosta is a ghoul who thinks he deserves protection that teen did NOT get that day."

See Jim Acosta's Substack here.