OpenAI safety apology

Sam Altman apologized on April 24 to Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, for OpenAI’s failure to alert police about a ChatGPT account linked to the town’s February mass shooting. (cbc.ca) In a letter dated April 23, Altman wrote that OpenAI should have alerted law enforcement about the account it banned in June 2025. The company confirmed the letter after local outlet Tumbler RidgeLines published it. (cbc.ca) Royal Canadian Mounted Police have identified the shooter as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar. Police say she killed eight people on February 10, including five children and an education assistant at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, before killing herself. (cbc.ca) OpenAI said it detected Van Rootselaar’s account through automated tools and human review aimed at misuse tied to violent activity. The company said the June 2025 messages did not meet its threshold for reporting an “imminent and credible risk” of serious physical harm. (cbc.ca) After the shooting, OpenAI contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with information about Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT use. Global News reported that the company also found a second account linked to her name despite systems meant to catch repeat policy violators. (cbc.ca) (globalnews.ca) The case has pushed OpenAI into talks with Canadian officials over how an artificial intelligence company should escalate violent threats. In March, Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon said OpenAI agreed to set up a direct contact point with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and provide a report on systems for identifying high-risk offenders and policy violators. (globalnews.ca) (politico.com) Solomon also said he would ask the Canadian AI Safety Institute to examine OpenAI’s model and advise his office. Politico reported that the review followed a virtual meeting in which Altman expressed “horror and responsibility in general” over the shooting. (politico.com) (citynews.ca) British Columbia Premier David Eby said the apology was “necessary” but “grossly insufficient” for the families in Tumbler Ridge. CBC reported that Altman had agreed to apologize after meeting Eby and Mayor Darryl Krakowka in early March. (cbc.ca) (castanet.net) The apology does not close the case for OpenAI. CBC reported that one victim’s family is suing the company, alleging it had specific knowledge of long-range planning for a mass-casualty attack and failed to act. (cbc.ca)