OpenAI vows safety policy changes after Canada school shooting
OpenAI vows safety policy changes after Canada school shooting
OpenAI pledges stronger safety measures after a deadly shooting in Tumbler Ridge, amid questions over reporting flagged ChatGPT accounts to police.
After a deadly February attack in Tumbler Ridge that left eight people dead, officials criticized OpenAI for not reporting a suspect’s ChatGPT account to police, despite it being flagged internally months earlier. OpenAI says it will strengthen safety measures in response.
OpenAI wrote to Canadian officials that the suspect was able to create a second account after the first was banned, slipping past its internal detection systems. The first account, banned in June 2025, was not reported because it did not meet the threshold for credible and imminent planning of serious violence at the time.
Canada's AI minister said he will meet OpenAI CEO Sam Altman next week in Ottawa to seek clarity on the safety commitments being made by the tech company.
The shooting began at a residence and at the local secondary school in Tumbler Ridge, a town in British Columbia. Eight people were killed, including the suspect's mother and an 11-year-old stepbrother, as well as five young schoolchildren and an educator. The suspect, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar, died by a self-inflicted gunshot.
OpenAI's disclosure that a ChatGPT account used by the suspect was shut down in June 2025 for violating usage terms sparked further questions, and Canadian officials summoned OpenAI senior staff earlier this week in Ottawa.
