OpenAI reviewed and debated whether to alert Canadian police about troubling ChatGPT conversations months before an 18-year-old trans was identified as the suspect in a deadly school shooting in British Columbia. The discussions followed interactions flagged by OpenAI’s internal monitoring systems for references to gun violence.
As reported by the WSJ, the user, later identified by Canadian authorities as Jesse Van Rootselaar, was trans and used ChatGPT in June last year to describe violent firearm scenarios over several days. Around a dozen employees reportedly examined whether the exchanges indicated a credible threat. Some urged leaders to notify law enforcement. OpenAI ultimately decided the activity did not meet its reporting threshold, which requires a “credible and imminent risk of serious physical harm to others.”
The account was banned. On February 10, Van Rootselaar was found dead at the scene of a school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, from what police described as a self-inflicted injury. Eight people were killed, and at least 25 were injured. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police named her as the suspect. OpenAI said it contacted the RCMP after the attack and is cooperating with investigators, adding, “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the Tumbler Ridge tragedy.”
