British Columbia sues OpenAI over Tumbler Ridge mass shooting, eight dead

B.C. is suing OpenAI in California for failing to warn authorities before the Tumbler Ridge shooting that killed six children and two adults in February.

British Columbia takes OpenAI to court over Tumbler Ridge shooting warning failure

The British Columbia government has filed a lawsuit in California against OpenAI, alleging the artificial intelligence company failed to alert law enforcement to threats made on its ChatGPT platform before the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting in February, bloomberg.com reports.

Attorney General Niki Sharma announced the legal action at a news conference Monday. The province is suing OpenAI on two grounds: its failure to notify police of the threats, and its alleged design of an unsafe product.

Six children and two adults were killed in the shooting on Feb. 10. The 18-year-old shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police.

"We owe it to the families, survivors, and everyone whose life was changed by this tragedy, to get answers and accountability," Sharma said.

Conversation flagged internally — but not reported to RCMP

Sharma said the ChatGPT conversation with the shooter was alarming enough to trigger an internal review at OpenAI, but the company did not report it to the RCMP. Sharma acknowledged she has not read the conversation herself.

"We have asked OpenAI to disclose these chats. They have refused. We should all be asking them: Why?" she said.

The decision not to report the chats was made in California, Sharma noted — one of the reasons the province chose to file the lawsuit there.

The lawsuit, filed jointly with the Peace River South School District (SD59), also names OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as a defendant. It quotes an apology Altman wrote to the Tumbler Ridge community in April, published by local news site Tumbler RidgeLines.

"I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement to the account that was banned in June," Altman wrote. The B.C. government described that statement as "an admission that OpenAI identified the risk and failed to act on it."

Province seeks rebuilding costs and systemic change

The province said it has spent "significant resources" on recovery and rebuilding, including educators, clinicians, victim services workers, and police, as well as physical infrastructure. Among the specific damages sought is reimbursement for the construction of a new Tumbler Ridge school — the original building was demolished following the tragedy.

"The Crown and SD59 seek to recover the cost that this tragedy and its foreseeable consequences required them to expend," the lawsuit states.

The legal action also seeks injunctive relief aimed at preventing a similar event in the future.

Sharma was careful to distinguish the province's claim from the separate civil lawsuits filed by victims and their families, also in California. "Our focus is on the losses that the province suffered as a result of the conduct and harm, so the basis for our claim for damages is quite different," she said.

OpenAI: committed to safety work

In an emailed statement, OpenAI described the events in Tumbler Ridge as "an unspeakable tragedy" and said its thoughts remain with the victims, their families, and the wider community. "OpenAI remains committed to working collaboratively with government and law enforcement officials, and continuing to advance our ongoing safety work," the statement read.

Criminal investigation and coroner's inquest ongoing

A separate criminal investigation led by the B.C. RCMP remains active. A spokesperson on Monday referred to a July statement confirming that digital and physical evidence has been collected and that police are still analyzing the contents of seized electronic devices.

"This continues to be a criminal investigation, in which we have not eliminated the possibility that charges could be laid," the July statement read. "It is important to understand that the absence of publicly disclosed details does not mean investigators do not have that information."

B.C.'s chief coroner has also directed a public inquest into the events leading up to the shooting. The provincial lawsuit follows multiple civil claims already filed by victims against OpenAI, as well as a reported wave of 30 additional lawsuits filed by survivors.

Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)