Gun violence killed them. Now, their voices will lobby Congress to do more using AI

On Feb. 14, 2018, Joaquin Oliver started another day as a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. By the end, he was one of 17 people murdered at the school in a mass shooting that sparked a worldwide, youth-led movement on gun violence.

Now, people can hear his voice again.

"It's been six years, and you've done nothing," says a voice that resembles Oliver's. "Not a thing to stop all the shootings that have continued to happen since."

Oliver's audio is one of six messages generated by artificial intelligence meant to resemble the voices of individuals killed by guns in different incidents over the past decade. It's part of an initiative led by March For Our Lives, the gun control organization borne out of the Parkland shooting, and Change The Ref, a group started by Oliver's parents, vocal advocates Manny and Patricia Oliver.

The messages will appear on the Shotline, an online platform that the groups created, where users can individually send the AI-generated audio directly to the offices of members of Congress, demanding further action on gun violence prevention.

"I'm back today because my parents used AI to recreate my voice to call you," Oliver's message continued. "Other victims like me will be calling too, again and again, to demand action. How many calls will it take for you to care? How many dead voices will you hear before you finally listen? Every day your inaction creates more voices. If you fail to act now, we'll find somebody who will."

The decision by Change The Ref and March For Our Lives to use AI is a striking move for some AI experts watching how the controversial technology is being used in political spaces. The statement is also a notable shift in tone compared to how March