British Columbia files a lawsuit in California against OpenAI, alleging the company failed to warn local law enforcement ahead of a mass school shooting in Tumbler Ridge. The province says the attack could have been prevented if OpenAI had shared concerns and relevant information after a shooter used ChatGPT to plan the massacre.
Multiple outlets report that British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma announced the planned action earlier this year and argues the decision not to report happened in California, making the U.S. venue appropriate. The lawsuit is linked to OpenAI’s handling of the account used by Jesse Van Rootselaar, who killed eight people on Feb. 10, including five students, a teacher, and members of her family.
Outlets also note that families affected by the shooting have filed their own lawsuits in California, and OpenAI has moved to dismiss some of those cases, arguing jurisdiction should be in British Columbia. OpenAI has said it did not report the account because it saw no evidence of an imminent attack, but it later apologized and indicated updated security guidelines would have led to reporting. Some reports describe claims that OpenAI’s safety and notification policies were inadequate and cite alleged internal failure to escalate concerns.
