British Columbia sues OpenAI after shooter used ChatGPT to plan killing
British Columbia is suing OpenAI. A shooter used ChatGPT to plan an attack that killed nine people, mostly children.
Nine people, mostly children, were killed in a school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia in February. The shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, had used ChatGPT to plan the attack.
OpenAI's safety team flagged her conversations about gun violence. They did not alert police.
British Columbia's attorney general filed a lawsuit in San Francisco federal court seeking damages to fund recovery efforts. The lawsuit also seeks an order requiring changes to how the company handles ChatGPT conversations that could lead to violence.
Sam Altman apologized in April. But the province says the company has taken no real action since.
One survivor, Maya Gebala, suffered critical brain injuries after being shot three times, including in the skull.
- February
- Shooting date
- San Francisco federal court, Monday
- Lawsuit filed
Why it mattersThis case raises a critical question. Do tech companies have a duty to warn police when they find plans for violence on their platforms?
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, but Australian AI users and policy makers are watching how courts handle liability for AI-generated content used to plan violence.
Corroborated bybbc.com
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 11 d ago
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