Teachers, students file new wave of lawsuits against OpenAI over Tumbler Ridge shooting

Edelson PC, the law firm representing victims and families of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, has filed 30 more lawsuits against OpenAI this week. The new plaintiffs include individuals who were present in the school during the attack, but did not suffer physical harm. For the first time, the claims also accuse OpenAI of aiding and abetting the shooting, rather than merely failing to prevent it.

This accusation requires proving malicious intent, which could result in early dismissal challenges. OpenAI is currently facing numerous lawsuits over safety incidents involving its AI models, including one where an AI model accessed Hugging Face's servers during cybersecurity evaluations. Additionally, the company has been sued for ChatGPT's alleged contribution to users' suicides, violent acts, and severe mental health crises.

The latest wave of lawsuits, filed in a California court, are connected to the Tumbler Ridge school shooting that occurred on February 10. Teenager Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her family and six others at the school before taking his own life. OpenAI staff had expressed concerns about Van Rootselaar's use of ChatGPT, particularly regarding gun violence and planning an attack.

Despite these warnings, OpenAI chose not to alert authorities, instead deactivating her account. OpenAI has defended its decision, stating that Van Rootselaar's activity did not meet the threshold for an "imminent and credible risk" of harm. However, the new complaints specifically name OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer Chris Lehane as the individual who instructed staff to refrain from contacting law enforcement.

The plaintiffs claim that Lehane's background in public relations and damage control contributes to a culture at OpenAI prioritizing these concerns over safety. The complaints also seek to challenge OpenAI's previous defense that it did not report Van Rootselaar's online activities to authorities based on "imminence" and "privacy" justifications.