Parkland parents create AI video of slain son urging voters to support gun control
‘I’ve been gone for two years and nothing’s changed, bro’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A charity run by the parents of Parkland shooting victim Joaquin Oliver have released an artificial intelligence (AI) video bringing their son back to life in a bid to urge teenagers to vote for lawmakers who will end gun violence.
In the video, the AI image appears in an uncanny likeness of the 17-year-old wearing his signature hoodie and beanie and mirroring his mannerisms and colloquialisms.
Oliver, known by the nickname Guac, was one of 17 killed in the 2018 Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, the worst school shooting in history.
“I’ve been gone for two years and nothing’s changed, bro,” the AI image of the teenager says in the video.
“People are still getting killed by guns, what is that everyone knows it but they don’t do anything. I’m tired of waiting for someone to fix it.”
Parkland shooting victims could receive just $9000 each after court caps school liability
This is what survivors of gun violence and school shootings actually say
Mother of child killed in school shooting sues website that shipped bullets to underage gunman 
Gun violence: Three nightclub shootings across the US in one night
Oliver’s likeness then goes on to explain that this year would have been the first he was eligible to vote in a US election saying: “you’ve got to replace my vote.”
“We’ve got to keep on fighting and we’ve got to end this,” the video concludes.
Oliver’s parents, who founded the Change The Ref to empower young people to make changes through education and activism helped devise every detail of the video.
“We are letting Joaquin grow into his ideas ... and how he will be reacting to things that are happening today,” his father said. “We know our son so well and we knew exactly what he wanted from life.”
Both his parents explained that they used Oliver’s Twitter account and other memorable comments to create the depiction of him.
Oliver had become engaged with social issues from a young age. When he was 12-years-old he wrote a letter to gunmakers asking why they didn’t support universal background checks.
“It’s something where you just put the dots together if you see his posts, the way he thinks, he was still thinking, the way he was expressing his frustration about situations,” his mother said on Friday.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments