Calls for global AI oversight grow as Canada sues OpenAI over school shooting role

The Canadian province of British Columbia has initiated a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that the artificial intelligence company failed to report a shooter's alarming interactions with its ChatGPT platform prior to a mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Filed in federal court in San Francisco, the lawsuit also names OpenAI CEO Sam Altman as a defendant. The February 10, 2026, attack in Tumbler Ridge resulted in the deaths of eight individuals, including six children, with the 18-year-old shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to the province's allegations, OpenAI's internal safety team had flagged the shooter's conversations on ChatGPT, which reportedly contained discussions about gun violence. Despite an account linked to the shooter being banned in June 2025 due to violent content, OpenAI allegedly did not alert law enforcement authorities to these credible threats. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman later issued an apology in April, acknowledging the company's failure to notify law enforcement.

British Columbia is seeking financial compensation to cover costs associated with emergency response and community recovery efforts, including the construction of a new school facility. The lawsuit also aims to secure a court order that would compel OpenAI to reform its procedures for identifying and handling user conversations that threaten violence. This provincial action follows more than 30 other lawsuits filed by victims' families and survivors against OpenAI in the same California court. Attorney General Niki Sharma emphasized the need for stronger national safeguards for AI technologies and platforms.