Canadian province sues OpenAI over Tumbler Ridge school shooting

British Columbia has accused the company of failing to report the shooter's troubling interactions with ChatGPT to law enforcement. A Canadian province is suing OpenAI over its alleged failure to notify authorities about concerning user interactions on ChatGPT prior to the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting. The company has previously apologised for not flagging Jessie Van Rootselaar's account to law enforcement before the 18-year-old killed eight people, including six children, in February. British Columbia attorney general Niki Sharma said the lawsuit, filed to a US federal court on Monday, raised questions about "the responsibilities of technology companies when they become aware of credible threats of serious violence". Families of those killed or injured in the shooting have filed separate lawsuits against OpenAI.

Media reports revealed that Van Rootselaar's ChatGPT activity was flagged by OpenAI's safety team for references to gun violence months before the attack, but the company did not alert local authorities. In April, OpenAI's chief executive Sam Altman apologised to the families of the victims. "I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement," Altman wrote in an open letter. The BBC has requested comment from OpenAI regarding the latest lawsuit. "To date, OpenAI has not taken meaningful steps to address the concerns raised by survivors, families and the Tumbler Ridge community," Sharma said in a statement.