Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta is facing widespread criticism after releasing an interview with an AI recreation of a teenager who was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting.
Acosta, known for his outspoken political commentary during his time at CNN, posted the controversial segment Monday on his Substack program, The Jim Acosta Show. In the segment, he “interviews” Joaquin Oliver — or rather, an AI-generated version of the young man, who was one of 17 victims killed by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
The video shows Acosta speaking with an AI-generated likeness of Oliver, whose digital voice answers questions about gun violence as if he were still alive. Acosta asks, “Joaquin, I would like to know what your solution would be for gun violence.” The AI version of Oliver responds with a detailed answer promoting gun control, mental health support, and community engagement.
NEW: Former CNN host Jim Acosta gives an interview with an AI version of a deceased Parkland victim to push gun control.
Acosta: “I would like to know what your solution would be for gun violence.”
AI Joaquin Oliver: “Great question. I believe in a mix of stronger gun control… pic.twitter.com/ArAvRy939l
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 4, 2025
Social media reactions were immediate — and intense. It wasn’t just the right either, Acosta managed to bring political ideologies together. He was trending on the very liberal social media site Bluesky and not in a good way.
For his next exclusive Jim Acosta will be interviewing an AI version of his own career
— [Sic] Burns (@sicburns2.bsky.social) August 5, 2025 at 5:41 AM
hey bunnies!
so let’s spill the tea on Jim Acosta! seriously, is he a journalist or a sci-fi writer?
— MIMI (@bravemoose92.casjay.social) August 4, 2025 at 8:24 PM
so let’s spill the tea on Jim Acosta! seriously, is he a journalist or a sci-fi writer? 
every time I see him, it’s like cringe city! like, if I had a time machine, I’d go back to when journalism meant something. 
can we get some better guests? #JimAcosta #WeNeedBetter!If Jim Acosta had Ai and a time machine, he would take himself to prom.
— Dr. Jack Brown (@drjackbrown.bsky.social) August 4, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Users called the interview disturbing, while others said it crossed ethical boundaries. “Jim Acosta is now conducting fake interviews with AI recreations of dead children programmed to agree with him on gun control,” one critic wrote. Another added, “Jim Acosta, who took great offense to being labeled fake news, is now conducting fake interviews with dead people for content and clicks.”
Several high-profile commentators piled on. One suggested Acosta was using grief and tragedy to promote his political views. Others accused him of trying to gain attention through a tactic they described as “creepy,” “exploitive,” and “disrespectful.”
Jim Acosta turned off replies on Twitter for his ghoulish act of talking to AI Ghosts. Let’s see how the replies are going over on BlueSky. https://t.co/qunaYOGWLu pic.twitter.com/uCkIAzf2V2
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) August 4, 2025
In response to the backlash, Acosta shared a video statement from Joaquin’s father, Manuel Oliver. In it, Oliver defended the use of AI, saying it was his idea and his plan to bring his son’s message back to life. “We feel Joaquin has a lot of things to say and as long as we have the option, we will use it. Stop blaming Jim,” he said.
Oliver went on to say that the real problem is not the use of AI, but the fact that his son was killed. “If the problem you have is the AI, then you have the wrong problem,” he said. “The real problem is my son was shot.”
Acosta also said the idea for the interview came directly from Joaquin’s family. “Joaquin, known as Guac, should be 25 years old today. His father approached me to do the story… to keep the memory of his son alive,” he wrote on social media.
This story comes during the first year of Acosta’s shift to independent media after leaving CNN. He now publishes through Substack, a platform that allows content creators to charge subscribers directly. His page has grown quickly, reportedly attracting more than 282,000 subscribers — including more than 10,000 paid users.
With paid plans ranging from $8 per month to $240 per year, estimates suggest Acosta could be earning more than $1 million annually through the platform. That income may even exceed what he made at CNN, where reports estimate his salary ranged between $700,000 and $2 million.
Acosta’s new show includes daily podcasts, virtual events, and guest interviews. He recently hosted a “virtual town hall” with subscribers and has featured guests like former Trump attorney Michael Cohen and various political analysts.
The AI interview with Joaquin Oliver marks one of the most attention-grabbing episodes since Acosta left traditional broadcast media.
Now, as technology continues to blend with journalism in new and often controversial ways, the conversation around this episode is just beginning — raising questions about grief, consent, ethics, and where the lines should be drawn when using AI to tell stories.
