"OpenAI said it did not alert authorities to the account because its usage did not meet its threshold of a credible or imminent plan for serious physical harm to others. It said its thoughts were with everyone affected by the tragedy and that following the attack it had "proactively" contacted Canadian police with information on the suspect. Van Rootselaar is suspected of having shot and killed eight people in rural Tumbler Ridge on 12 February in one of the deadliest attacks in Canada's history."
"In a statement, a spokesperson for OpenAI said: "In June 2025, we proactively identified an account associated with this individual [Jesse Van Rootselaar] via our abuse detection and enforcement efforts, which include automated tools and human investigations to identify misuses of our models in furtherance of violent activities." They said the company would continue to support the police's investigation. The BBC has contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for comment."
OpenAI identified and banned a ChatGPT account linked to Jesse Van Rootselaar in June 2025 under its abuse and enforcement detection for potential misuse related to violence. The company did not notify authorities at the time because the account's activity did not meet its threshold for a credible or imminent plan of serious physical harm. Following the 12 February Tumbler Ridge attack that killed eight people, OpenAI said it proactively contacted Canadian police with information on the suspect and will support the investigation. Internal staff reportedly debated alerting authorities earlier. OpenAI maintains a policy to alert only when imminent risk is identified.
Read at www.bbc.com
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