On the anniversary of what would have been Joaquin Oliver‘s 25th birthday, an AI-generated version of the Parkland victim participated in a groundbreaking interview with renowned journalist Jim Acosta. Oliver’s parents started the event as a part of overall campaign to end gun violence. They were trying to use technology to increase the reach of their message. Joaquin Oliver was the tragic victim of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018. At the time, he was just 17 years old.
Joaquin’s AI counterpart was developed using generative artificial intelligence. It packs an emotional wallop to illustrate the toll exacted by gun violence. The AI version, based on a real historic photograph, was brought to life digitally through animation. It was wearing a beanie and a very serious face throughout the interview. This innovative approach is a powerful moment in the ongoing use of technology for advocacy and remembrance.
As the first journalist to interact with the virtual likeness, Joaquin’s father Manuel Oliver extended an invitation to Jim Acosta. As a former chief White House correspondent for CNN, Acosta quickly took them up on the offer. Acosta and his producers promoted the interview on social media. He referred to it as “the show you can’t afford to miss” and branded it as “a one of a kind interview.”
The old interview format was too much like a robocall campaign. It felt eerily similar to “The Shotline,” which blasts recordings of students and staff who died in the mass shooting. On the live interview, the AI version of Joaquin made a pretty cool declaration. He introduced himself with “I’m back today because my parents used AI to renew my voice to talk with you! What this announcement really represents is the transformative power of technology. It challenges audiences to be moved to action and face the brutal truths of gun violence head on.
I was robbed of this opportunity the moment gun violence struck me in school. We need to have these conversations in order to create a future that’s safer for all of us,” said AI version of Joaquin during the panel. This sense of urgency is felt throughout the campaign and reflects the desire to change our society’s harmful ways.
Acosta was moved on a profoundly emotional level throughout the experience. He continued, “To me, I truly felt like I was talking to Joaquin. It’s just magical. His thoughts imply that the AI avatar was able to communicate an important feeling of intimacy and presence that viewers seemed to connect with.
Not all responses have been positive. The critics weighed in. The same critics were quick to express their concern about the ethical ramifications of utilizing AI-generated facsimiles of dead stars. As one frustrated user on the new social media site Bluesky vented, “You can do something like profile the living survivors of school shootings…It’s going to be their real world, real life words and thoughts, not totally fabricated.” This critique hones in on what’s become a bigger debate about authenticity and representation when talking about tragedy.
This application of AI is not groundbreaking. That’s precisely what they did earlier this year when they used a digital AI version of yet another Parkland victim in a court hearing. Further, a like AI simulation appeared recently after a pedestrian was killed in an extreme case of road rage in Arizona. These examples represent a larger movement towards using technology to facilitate both memorialization and trial.
Joaquin Oliver’s parents have been at the forefront of the movement against gun violence since their son’s death. Their drive has seen them through all kinds of activism to ensure no other family suffers the same fate. The creation of an AI representation serves as both a tribute and a tool to engage with audiences on critical issues surrounding gun control and safety.