British Columbia has filed a lawsuit in San Francisco federal court against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. The province alleges that a mass shooting at a rural school in Tumbler Ridge could have been prevented if the company had warned local law enforcement that the shooter used ChatGPT to plan the massacre.
The legal action stems from a February attack that left nine people dead, including the shooter. British Columbia accuses OpenAI of failing to report the shooter's troubling interactions and violent activity on the platform, claiming the company ignored deadly threats and concerns brewing internally.
The lawsuit seeks damages to fund recovery efforts in the province following the attack. It also demands safety overhauls to address product safety gaps and an order directing changes to how OpenAI handles ChatGPT conversations that could lead to violence.