From Newsgroup: rec.guns

Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta received blowback on Monday over an interview he conducted using an artificial intelligence-generated likeness of a teen
killed in the 2018 mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

Acosta, who has been an independent journalist since leaving CNN earlier this year, interviewed an AI likeness of Joaquin Oliver created by the gun control group Change the Ref, founded by OliverAs parents. The host teased the interview in a clip posted on social media.

oIAll 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,o said Acosta in a post on X.

He included a snippet of the interview in which he asked the AI-generated Oliver, oWhat your solution would be for gun violence?o

oGreat question. I believe in a mix of stronger gun control laws, mental health support, and community engagement,o the AI emitted in response. oWe need to create safe spaces for conversations and connections, making sure everyone feels seen and heard. ItAs about building a culture of kindness and understanding. What do you think about that?o

Acosta responded: oI think thatAs a great idea, Joaquin.o

A show you donAt want to miss at 4p ET / 1p PT. IAll 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. Plus Texas Statea pic.twitter.com/mbdM2WxwUR

u Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 4, 2025

AcostaAs use of an AI version of a school shooting victim to push a political agenda received stiff pushback online.

oJust The Newso Chief Investigative Correspondent Jerry Dunleavy called the interview oderanged & ghoulish.o

Washington Free Beacon investigative reporter Chuck Ross pointed out: oThis
is the kind of journalism that Jim Acosta is doing without the guardrails of CNN.o

oThis is one of the most unhinged and grotesque things IAve ever seen. ItAs also completely in keeping with who Acosta is,o National Review senior writer Charles C.W. Cooke said.

The Dispatch Editor-In-Chief Jonah Goldberg called the interview oProfoundly gross.o

The pushback against AcostaAs ointerviewo bled over onto BlueSky, as well. BlueSky is known as a social media hive for leftists who quit X in opposition to Elon MuskAs takeover. Replies on the site were rife with disgust.

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