British Columbia has sued OpenAI over its alleged failure to alert authorities about flagged ChatGPT activity before February’s deadly Tumbler Ridge school shooting.
Key Points:
- British Columbia filed a California lawsuit accusing OpenAI of failing to report concerning ChatGPT interactions before the Tumbler Ridge shooting.
- The attack killed eight people, including six children, while victims’ families have filed separate lawsuits against the company.
- The province says any financial damages it wins would support rebuilding the secondary school.
OpenAI Lawsuit
The BBC reported that British Columbia filed the case Monday in a U.S. federal court in California, accusing OpenAI of failing to alert law enforcement after safety staff flagged Jesse Van Rootselaar months before the Feb. 10 attack.
The 18-year-old killed eight people, including six children. Media reports later showed that OpenAI’s safety team had reviewed the account for references to gun violence months before the shooting, but local authorities were not alerted.
Attorney General Niki Sharma said the lawsuit raises questions about “the responsibilities of technology companies when they become aware of credible threats of serious violence.” She said OpenAI has not taken meaningful steps to address concerns raised by survivors, families and the Tumbler Ridge community.
Sharma also said the province had asked OpenAI to disclose the relevant chats, but the company refused. She said any financial damages recovered by British Columbia would go toward rebuilding the secondary school.
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Sam Altman Response
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman apologized publicly in April for the company’s decision not to contact law enforcement before the attack. “I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement,” he wrote in an open letter.
The lawsuit puts renewed focus on how AI companies respond when internal safety systems identify violent content that may indicate a real-world threat. British Columbia is seeking answers about what OpenAI knew, how it assessed the risk and why authorities were not contacted.
The dispute began months before the province filed suit, when reports showed OpenAI had flagged Van Rootselaar’s account but did not inform police. Families later filed separate lawsuits, while British Columbia continued pressing OpenAI for more information, greater disclosure and stronger safety measures.
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