Action being taken against OpenAI for its failure to alert authorities to violent prompts on ChatGPT before the shooting
British Columbia said on Tuesday it was preparing a lawsuit against OpenAI over the company’s failure to report violent ChatGPT activity by the person who committed a mass school shooting in the western Canadian province.
OpenAI had banned an account linked to Jesse Van Rootselaar in June 2025, months before the 18-year-old transgender woman killed eight people at her home and a school in the tiny mining town of Tumbler Ridge.
Canadian families impacted by the February shooting have already filed lawsuits against the US tech giant in a California court.
British Columbia said Tuesday it was preparing a separate case, in coordination with the families, and had retained lawyers both in Canada and California.
Provincial Attorney General Niki Sharma told reporters BC wanted to “hold OpenAI and its decision-makers accountable for their failure to notify law enforcement of the violent prompts made on its ChatGPT platform by the perpetrator before the tragedy in Tumbler Ridge”.
“British Columbia has never shied away from taking on powerful corporations when their actions cause harm to people and communities,” she added.