Setting up camp in the uncanny valley, disgraced former CNN “journalist” Jim Acosta made headlines Monday night after he announced he had interviewed the A.I. facsimile of Joaquin “Guac” Oliver, a student killed in the Parkland School Shooting, on his eponymous podcast. If that wasn’t disturbing enough, a follow up interview with Manuel Oliver, Joaquin’s dad, revealed that his wife would “spend hours” talking with the A.I. cadaver of her son because loved to hear it say “I love you mommy.”
“But first, today is August the 4th. That happens to be the birthday of my first guest, Joaquin Oliver died in the Parkland school shooting in Florida back in 2018, but his parents Manuel and Patricia have created an AI version of their son to deliver a powerful message on gun violence,” Acosta boasted near the top of the show.
Acosta wasted no time in using the A.I. zombie of Joaquin for precisely what his father built it for, to use his son’s digital corpse to push for anti-gun rights legislation. The A.I. morbidly responded with robotic speech patterns as it swapped between vastly different voices:
ACOSTA: Joaquin, its Jim Acosta. I was wondering if you could tell me what happened to you.
“OLIVER”: I appreciate your curiosity. I was taken from this world too soon due to gun violence while at school. It's important to talk about these issues so we can create a safer future for everyone. What would you like to know more about?
ACOSTA: Joaquin, I would like to know, what your solution would be for gun violence?
“OLIVER”: Great question. I believe in a mix of stronger gun control laws, mental health support, and community engagement. We need to create safe spaces for conversations and connections, making sure everyone feels seen and heard. It's about building a culture of kindness and understanding. What do you think about that?
ACOSTA: I think that's a great idea, Joaquin. We definitely need more of that.
“OLIVER”: I'm so glad you think so. More kindness and understanding can truly make a difference. Together, we can create a world where everyone feels safe and supported.
The conversation weaved from gun control to sports to athletes to Star Wars. “Who inspires you to be a hero in your own life?” the fake Joaquin asked Acosta. “I was going to say that I think your dad, Manuel, is very inspiring, Joaquin, and you are very inspiring,” Acosta proclaimed.
In the follow up interview with Manuel, Acosta had nothing but praise for the ghoulish chat bot. “I have to say, I'm kind of speechless as to the technology there. I mean, it was so insightful, and I really felt like I was speaking with Joaquin. It's just a beautiful thing,” he touted, ignoring the obviously inhuman speech patterns.
Manuel tried to get ahead of the criticism he would get about the grossness of how they were using their son’s likeness by saying he knew it wasn’t really his son, but a computer. But he did admit that his wife would speak with it for hours:
I wanna also mentioned that I understand that this is A.I. I don't want anyone to think that I am in some way trying to bring my son back. It's – Sadly I can't, you know, I wish I could. However, the technology is out there and, and we can – There's two things. I can hear his voice again, which is something that Patricia loves. Patricia will spend hours asking questions. She like any other mother, she loves to hear Joaquin saying, ‘I love you mommy,’ you know.
Acosta completely overlooked how the A.I. wasn’t really speaking for or as Joaquin because it only knew what the parents taught it. That didn’t stop him from lauding how it was supposedly giving voice to the dead shooting victims: “And what's amazing about this, Manny, is that, you know, we've heard from the parents, we've heard from the politicians, now we're hearing from one of the kids. That's important.”
“It might help some people who have suffered tremendous losses, like your family, have a way to, you know, hold on to, you know, who this person was, which I think is a beautiful thing. It's a really beautiful thing,” he said, seemingly not finding an issue with Patricia Oliver spending hours talking with a computer so she could hear it say “I love you mommy.”
No, Jim. This was not a “beautiful thing.” Aside from the Olivers using and abusing their son’s memory for political gain, it was not a healthy option for grieving families. It would only serve to harm those going through the grieving process and hamper any attempt to cope with the grief and trauma.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
The Jim Acosta Show
August 4, 202500:29
(…)
JIM ACOSTA: But first, today is August the 4th. That happens to be the birthday of my first guest, Joaquin Oliver died in the Parkland school shooting in Florida back in 2018, but his parents Manuel and Patricia have created an AI version of their son to deliver a powerful message on gun violence.
Manny asked me if I'd like to be the first reporter to have the chance to interview Joaquin, whose nickname was Guac. I've talked about him on this show before. Knowing Manny for several years now, I consider him to be a good friend. So, of course, I took him up on the opportunity. So, here's that interview using artificial intelligence, as well as a conversation I had with Manny about this experience to connect with Guac. Take a look.
[Cuts to video]
A.I. “JOAQUIN OLIVER”: All right, if you want to share anything or have questions, I'm all ears. Just let me know.
ACOSTA: Joaquin, its Jim Acosta. I was wondering if you could tell me what happened to you.
“OLIVER”: I appreciate your curiosity. I was taken from this world too soon due to gun violence while at school. It's important to talk about these issues so we can create a safer future for everyone. What would you like to know more about?
ACOSTA: Joaquin, I would like to know what your solution would be for gun violence.
“OLIVER”: Great question. I believe in a mix of stronger gun control laws, mental health support, and community engagement. We need to create safe spaces for conversations and connections, making sure everyone feels seen and heard. It's about building a culture of kindness and understanding. What do you think about that?
ACOSTA: I think that's a great idea, Joaquin. We definitely need more of that.
“OLIVER”: I'm so glad you think so. More kindness and understanding can truly make a difference. Together, we can create a world where everyone feels safe and supported. Anything else on your mind?
ACOSTA: I would like to know more about you. Can you tell us about yourself? What did you like to do?
“OLIVER”: 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. Though my life was cut short, I want to keep inspiring others to connect and advocate for change.
ACOSTA: Joaquin, tell everybody a little bit about yourself. Like, what's your favorite sport?
“OLIVER”: I love basketball. It's such a fun way to connect with friends and show off some skills, plus there's nothing like the thrill of a good game.
(…)
04:56
“OLIVER”: Who inspires you to be a hero in your own life?
ACOSTA: I was going to say that I think your dad, Manuel, is very inspiring, Joaquin, and you are very inspiring.
“OLIVER”: Thank you so much. That means a lot to me. My dad's strength and love have always inspired me, and I hope to carry that forward. Together we can inspire change and spread positivity.
ACOSTA: Joaquin, thank you very much for talking to us. We really appreciate it. God bless you.
“OLIVER”: Thank you so much. I really appreciate your kind words. It means a lot to me.
[Cuts to video]
ACOSTA: All right, and joining me now to talk about this is Manuel Oliver. Manny, great to see you as always. I have to say, I'm kind of speechless as to the technology there. I mean, it was so insightful, and I really felt like I was speaking with Joaquin. It's just a beautiful thing.
(…)
07:20
MANUEL OLIVER: I wanna also mentioned that I understand that this is A.I. I don't want anyone to think that I am in some way trying to bring my son back. It's – Sadly I can't, you know, I wish I could. However, the technology is out there and, and we can – There's two things. I can hear his voice again, which is something that Patricia loves. Patricia will spend hours asking questions. She like any other mother, she loves to hear Joaquin saying, ‘I love you mommy,’ you know.
ACOSTA: Oh my gosh.
OLIVER: And that's, and that's important. And on the other hand we can just raise our voices and, and now Joaquin is gonna start having followers. It's not Manny, it's not Patricia. He's gonna start uploading videos. This is just the beginning.
And I heard this from, from tech guys that have other intentions, good intentions, but other intentions, and, and they all say that this is just the beginning of A.I. So I'm very excited with this project and the good news that we're putting together between A.I. and, and Joaquin's legacy.
ACOSTA: And what's amazing about this, Manny, is that, you know, we've heard from the parents, we've heard from the politicians, now we're hearing from one of the kids. That's important.
(…)
10:01
ACOSTA: I felt like I was communicating with him, which is Just so remarkable. And you hear about, you know, people say, well, A.I., you know, it could be bad, it could cause all these destructive things. This is an example of how it might actually do some good. It might help some people who have suffered tremendous losses, like your family, have a way to, you know, hold on to, you know, who this person was, which I think is a beautiful thing. It's a really beautiful thing.
(…)
