B.C. government suing OpenAI for alleged role in Tumbler Ridge mass shooting

B.C. government suing OpenAI for alleged role in Tumbler Ridge mass shooting

Attorney general says lawsuit based on OpenAI's failure to notify police of threats made on ChatGPT

The B.C. government is suing OpenAI in California for its alleged role in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting in February, according to the province's attorney general.

Niki Sharma made the announcement at a news conference Monday.

Sharma said the province is suing OpenAI for its failure to notify law enforcement of threats made on its platform, ChatGPT, before the mass shooting.

It is also suing the company for designing an unsafe product, she said.

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.

OpenAI said in an emailed statement that the events of Tumbler Ridge were an unspeakable tragedy.

"Our thoughts remain with the victims, their families, and the entire community," said the statement.

"OpenAI remains committed to working collaboratively with government and law enforcement officials, and continuing to advance our ongoing safety work."

B.C.'s lawsuit comes in the wake of victims filing multiple civil claims of their own against OpenAI, also in California, where the company is headquartered.

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

More stories from Northern B.C.

Sharma said the conversation between OpenAI's ChatGPT and the shooter was alarming enough that it triggered an internal review, but that it was not reported to RCMP.

She said she has not read the ChatGPT conversation herself.

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

Sharma said the decision not to report the chats happened in California, which is one reason the province filed the lawsuit there.

B.C. government files lawsuit against OpenAI in wake of Tumbler Ridge shooting

The province is working closely with the affected families and the school district, according to Sharma, but she noted the families' and victims' lawsuits are separate from what the province is pursuing.

"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," Sharma said.

She said the province is seeking reimbursement for the building of a new Tumbler Ridge school. The old one was demolished in the wake of the tragedy.

OpenAI CEO also named in lawsuit

The province's lawsuit, filed jointly with the Peace River South School District (SD59) against OpenAI, also names OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as a defendant.

The lawsuit quotes an apology Altman made to the community of Tumbler Ridge, one he wrote in April.

"I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement to the account that was banned in June," Altman said in the apology, which was shared with local news site Tumbler RidgeLines.

OpenAI's Sam Altman writes apology to community of Tumbler Ridge

The B.C. government said in its claim that the statement in the apology is an "admission that OpenAI identified the risk and failed to act on it."

The province noted it has spent "significant resources" on the recovery and rebuilding of the community — including human resources such as educators, clinicians, victim services workers and police, in addition to infrastructure.

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

The lawsuit is also seeking "injunctive relief to ensure that this tragedy does not happen again."

A separate criminal investigation led by the B.C. RCMP is still underway.

On Monday, a B.C. RCMP spokesperson referred to a previous statement from July that said digital and physical evidence has been collected and 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 an inquest to publicly review what led up to the tragedy.

Tumbler Ridge shooting survivors file 30 new lawsuits against OpenAI