Former CNN Anchor Jim Acosta ‘Interviews’ AI-Generated Video of Slain Parkland Student to Push Gun Control
On August 4, 2025, former CNN anchor Jim Acosta interviewed an AI-generated video of slain parkland student Joaquin Oliver in which the AI character pushed more gun control.
Acosta opened the segment by pointing out that although Joaquin was killed in the heinous February 14, 2018, Parkland school shooting, “His parents…have created an AI version [of Joaquin] to deliver a powerful message on gun violence.”
Manuel Oliver and Patricia Oliver, the parents of Joaquin Oliver, one of the victims of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, listen as David Hogg, a Parkland survivor, speaks during the second March for Our Lives rally in support of gun control, Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
The interview was eerie, somewhat due to the simple reality that AI is artificial by nature, but also due to the fact that the mouth of the AI-generated version of Joaquin is out of time with the words spoken throughout the segment. Moreover, the voice used by the AI-generated character fluctuates in sound.
Beyond the eeriness, the AI-generated version of Joaquin delivers standard talking points from the left’s push for more gun control. The AI-generated character tells viewers he “was taken from this world too soon due to gun violence while at school” and then pushes a solution that includes “a mix of stronger gun control laws, mental health support, and community engagement.”
The AI-generated version of Joaquin pushes for a “culture of kindness and understanding.”
Acosta echoed the AI-generated character’s push for “kindness and understanding,” then asked the AI-generated version of Joaquin to “tell us about yourself.”
The AI-generated character then responds in a high, excited voice, “I’m all about love, laughter, and living life to the fullest. I cherish my family and friends and always try to spread joy wherever I go.”
The conversation fell into a discussion of basketball, Star Wars, and the “story of hope and resilience against darkness.”
Acosta ended the interaction with the AI-generated Joaquin by saying, “God bless you.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
