Overview
- Elon Musk wrote on X, “Keep ChatGPT away from kids and the mentally unwell,” responding to posts about the Tumbler Ridge, Canada, school shooting.
- The Wall Street Journal reported the suspect discussed gun violence with ChatGPT over several days, triggering automated flags and an internal debate among about a dozen OpenAI staff over contacting police.
- OpenAI confirmed it banned the user’s account at the time and said the activity did not meet its threshold for referral to law enforcement, and news reports say the suspect later used a second account.
- A civil claim filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia alleges ChatGPT provided information and guidance used to plan the attack.
- OpenAI called the shooting an unspeakable tragedy, says it consulted experts and updated protocols that would now compel notification to police and make it harder for banned users to return, and the episode has fueled a public back‑and‑forth with CEO Sam Altman criticizing safety issues at Musk’s companies.