In a span of two days following news that the Tumbler Ridge perpetrator’s ChatGPT account had been flagged prior to the shooting, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met with Federal AI Minister Evan Solomon and British Colombia Premier David Eby.
He secured commitments on both sides: reporting threats directly to the RCMP, retroactive review of previously flagged accounts, distress-redirect protocols, access to the company’s safety office for Canadian experts and an agreement to work with B.C. on regulatory recommendations to Ottawa.
He also agreed to apologize to the community of Tumbler Ridge, where 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed eight people and wounded many others before dying of a self-inflicted wound. Months prior to the shooting, Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account had been flagged for scenarios involving gun violence. The account was banned, but not reported to law enforcement.
