A former CNN anchor, Jim Acosta, scored a bizarre “exclusive” for his Substack newsletter: a sit-down interview with a Parkland shooting victim who was raised from the dead in the form of an AI re-creation.

The interview with the digital resurrection of Joaquin Oliver, which was posted on Mr. Acosta’s Substack newsletter, has raised eyebrows about journalistic ethics and the lengths some media personalities will go for content in the subscription economy.

According to Mr. Acosta’s remarks during the segment, Oliver’s parents were the ones who started the project, with Mr. Acosta’s goal being to assist in sharing the narrative of a youth whose life ended prematurely due to firearm violence.

He also appeared to use the avatar to push forward a partisan narrative on reforming gun control.

“I would like to know what your solution would be for gun violence,” Mr. Acosta asked.

“Great question. I believe in a mix of stronger gun control laws, mental health support, and community engagement,” Oliver’s avatar said. “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?”

“I think that’s a great idea, Joaquin,” Mr. Acosta said in response.

The segment in which the artificial Oliver responded to Mr. Acosta’s questions was unsettling for some to watch. The movement of the avatar’s lips seemed out of sync with the rest of its facial features, and its speech was often monotone and robotic.

The response to the interview with the AI Oliver, which was created by a gun control advocacy group founded by his parents, Change The Ref, has been sharply divided.

“Profoundly gross. I can’t really blame the parents, but this kind of thing will go nowhere good and @Acosta will (hopefully) regret this one day,” columnist Jonah Goldberg said on X.

“What on earth is this demonic madness,” a co-founder of the Federalist, Sean Davis, wrote on X. “Acosta got fired from CNN, so now he’s ‘interviewing’ scripted AI chatbot holograms of dead people which are pre-programmed to agree with him. Absolute insanity.”

Mr. Acosta attempted to preemptively put a positive spin on the backlash while speaking with Joaquin’s father, Manuel Oliver.

“I felt like I was communicating with him, which is just so remarkable,” he said. “People say, ‘Well, AI, 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 hold on to who this person was, which I think is a beautiful thing.”

In a video posted to X, Oliver’s father defended Mr. Acosta, saying that it was “an AR-15 that stole Joaquin’s life, not artificial intelligence” and that the journalist shouldn’t blamed for any wrongdoing.

“If the problem that you have is with the AI, then you have the wrong problem,” he said. “The real problem is that my son was shot eight years ago.” 

“So, if you believe that that is not the problem, you are part of the problem.”