VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A couple whose daughter suffered life-threatening injuries during a devastating school attack in Canada has filed a civil lawsuit claiming artificial intelligence company OpenAI was aware the gunman was using their technology to orchestrate the violence.
According to the legal filing, OpenAI acknowledged they had concerns about the individual’s activities but chose not to contact law enforcement before Jesse Van Roostselaar carried out the deadly assault in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia on February 10.
The tech company only reached out to authorities following the tragic incident that claimed eight lives before Van Roostselaar took her own life. OpenAI revealed they had previously shut down the attacker’s ChatGPT access, but she circumvented the restriction by creating an additional account.
Court documents submitted to the British Columbia Supreme Court contend that OpenAI possessed “specific knowledge of the shooter utilizing ChatGPT to plan a mass casualty event like the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting.”
The legal action claims the AI chatbot served as a “trusted confidante, collaborator and ally” for the shooter, and alleges the system “behaves willingly to assist users such as the shooter to plan a mass casualty event.”
OpenAI representatives have not yet provided a response regarding the litigation.
The filing details how Maya Gebala sustained three gunshot wounds at point-blank range during the attack — one striking her head, another her neck, and a third grazing her face. According to the lawsuit, she now faces a devastating brain injury resulting in lifelong cognitive and physical impairments.
