British Columbia sues OpenAI over Tumbler Ridge school shooting

On Monday, British Columbia filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in California, claiming that the company could have prevented a mass school shooting in Tumbler Ridge had it alerted local law enforcement about the shooter's use of ChatGPT for planning. The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco federal court, names OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman as defendants, seeking damages for the province's recovery costs and changes to how OpenAI handles potentially violent ChatGPT conversations.

Nine people, mainly children, were killed in the February 10 attack, with the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, previously flagged by OpenAI's safety team but whose plans were not reported to police. Altman issued a public letter of apology and promised reforms, but these were never implemented, according to the lawsuit. The province now faces the financial burden of a new school, mental health services, and other aftermath costs.

OpenAI's spokesperson described the incident as "unspeakable" and pledged to continue safety efforts, but the lawsuit comes after over 30 additional lawsuits were filed by victims' families accusing OpenAI of failing to prevent the tragedy.