In a letter made public Friday, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, apologized for the role played by ChatGPT in the mass shooting that devastated the Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge in February. OpenAI had not alerted the police despite worrying messages posted on ChatGPT by the author of the shooting months before the tragedy.
Published on: 04/25/2026 - 08:42 Modified on: 04/25/2026 - 10:32
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman apologized to the town of Tumbler Ridge, Canada, where a massacre took place in February that left eight dead and nearly thirty injured. The shooter had written worrying messages on ChatGPT.
In a letter dated Thursday 23 and published Friday April 24 by local news media Tumbler RidgeLines, Sam Altman assured that "no one should ever have to endure a tragedy like this."
The account of Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, had been suspended because his activity raised concerns about ChatGPT being used for violent purposes, but OpenAI said it had not informed the police because there was no indication of imminent action.
The suspension came eight months before this woman killed her mother and half-brother, before killing five children and a teacher in her former school, then killing herself.
A complaint filed
Sam Altman said he was "deeply sorry" that his company did not report Jesse Van Rootselaar's exchanges with ChatGPT to police.
“While I know words will never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognize the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered,” he wrote in his letter to the Tumbler Ridge community.
Also read: A criminal investigation opened in Florida against OpenAI and ChatGPT
OpenAI was heavily criticized for the role of its platform in this matter, and its leaders were summoned to Ottawa to detail their security protocols.
In March, the family of a young girl seriously injured in the killings filed a lawsuit against the company.
With AFP
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