Seven lawsuits filed against OpenAI by families of Canada mass-shooting victims

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. Seven lawsuits filed against OpenAI by families of Canada mass-shooting victims 10 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Nadine Yousif Senior Canada reporter via Getty Images Eight people, including six children, were killed in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting on 10 February, making it one of the deadliest in Canada's history Seven families of victims killed or injured in a mass shooting in Canada have filed lawsuits against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in a California court, accusing him and the company of ignoring the shooter's troubling interactions with ChatGPT. Eight people were killed, including six children, when 18-year-old Jessie Van Rootselaar opened fire at a secondary school in the Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, in February. Media reports have since revealed that Van Rootselaar's ChatGPT activity was flagged by OpenAI's safety team months before the attack for references to gun violence, but the company did not alert local police.

Last week, Altman apologised to families of the victims. "I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement," Altman wrote in an open letter published by local news outlet Tumbler RidgeLines. "While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognize the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered.

The Details

" In a statement responding to the lawsuits, an OpenAI spokesperson said the company has "a zero-tolerance policy for using our tools to assist in committing violence". The spokesperson added that OpenAI had "already strengthened our safeguards", including better assessment and escalation of "potential threats of violence". The company also published a blog on Tuesday outlining how OpenAI responds to users who display potentially dangerous behaviour on ChatGPT.

The new legal actions were filed in a California court on Wednesday by a joint legal team from the US and Canada. It will replace a previous lawsuit filed in a Canadian court by the family of one surviving victim, 12-year-old Maya Gebala, which is being voluntarily withdrawn. Gebala remains in hospital after being shot three times, in the head, neck and cheek.

Jay Edelson, the lawyer representing the families and community members in the new lawsuits, said he expects to file more than two dozen legal actions related to the shooting against OpenAI. He added he will be requesting trials by jury in each case. "We feel very comfortable making a case in front of a jury," he told the .

For Gebala's case, lawyers will be seeking over $1bn (£740m) in damages, Edelson's firm told the , with Edelson saying he expects the jury "to award historic amounts". Bloomberg via Getty Images Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is named in the new wave of lawsuits as a defendant The lawsuits accuse OpenAI and its senior leadership, including Altman, of negligence and aiding and abetting the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting by failing to alert law enforcement of the suspect's ChatGPT activities prior to the attack.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.