OpenAI failed to mention interactions between ChatGPT and Tumbler Ridge shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar that led to her account being banned in a pre-planned meeting with the B.C. government a day after the school shooting, says B.C. Premier David Eby’s office.
In a Feb. 11 meeting scheduled weeks in advance, a B.C. government official met with OpenAI representatives over the tech giant’s interest in opening an office in Canada. However, the company did not inform the government about any potential evidence related to the Tumbler Ridge shootings, which occurred on Feb. 10.
Instead, the company waited until the next day to request the RCMP’s contact information, according to a statement from the premier’s office. OpenAI did not immediately respond to the Star’s request for comment.
Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account was banned last June, eight months before the shooting took place, for breaching safeguards meant to prevent violence.
OpenAI said it did not alert Canadian law enforcement until after the mass shooting because the teenager’s activities didn’t meet its threshold to do so.
Van Rootselaar, 18, was found dead on Feb. 10. She’s accused of killing her mother and stepbrother before fatally shooting five children and a teaching assistant, as well as injuring 25 others at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, in one of Canada’s worst mass shootings.
As first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Friday, employees within OpenAI had warned leadership to act about posts describing gun violence.
Eby said the reports alleging OpenAI had “related intelligence” prior to the Tumbler Ridge shootings was “profoundly disturbing” for the families of the victims and the rest of the province.
“We have confirmed with police that they are pursuing orders regarding the preservation of any potential evidence related to the shootings in Tumbler Ridge held by digital services companies, including social media platforms and AI companies,” he said in a statement to the Star.
On Friday, RCMP Staff-Sgt. Kris Clark confirmed in an email that the platform reached out to the RCMP after the shooting.
“What I can say is that as part of the investigation, digital and physical evidence is being collected, prioritized, and methodically processed,” Clark said.
“This includes a thorough review of the content on electronic devices, as well as social media and online activities.”
More to come. With files from May Warren.
