Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look in an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

Last week, former CNN reporter Jim Acosta aired an interview with an avatar that claimed to be

Joaquin Oliver, one of the students that was killed in the horrific 2018 Parkland Florida school shooting.

Joaquin's father used AI to create an interactive model of his late son and then asked Acosta

to interview it on what would have been his 25th birthday. After the avatar told Acosta that he was

quote all ears, Acosta introduced himself to it and then asked

Joaquin what had happened to him. The avatar replied, and I quote, 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, end quote. When he was asked,

what should be done about gun violence, the avatar then replied, quote, 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 feel 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, Acosta responded. The interview was to say the least creepy, except for an initial greeting,

AI, Joaquin spoke in a flat voice and with eyes that appeared lifeless. And of course, it's impossible

to know what views the real Joaquin would hold had he survived the shooting. Most unsettling in all

this was how Acosta promoted the interview as if he were actually speaking to the dead student,

rather than a computer program that had been fed a specific point of view. Apparently, the boys' parents even hope that the avatar will soon participate in debates about gun violence.

The obvious expectation here is that everyone should accept this assumption that an AI program has indeed

brought a dead student back to life again.

This goes far beyond the hologram that was created of Walt Disney or even

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