Canada warns OpenAI to tighten safeguards after mass school shooting
What's the story
Canada has warned OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, to improve its safety measures or face government intervention. The warning comes after a recent school shooting in British Columbia, where Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, is suspected of killing eight people on February 10 before taking her own life. Ottawa summoned OpenAI's safety team for talks on Tuesday after the company admitted it hadn't informed police about an account it banned belonging to the alleged mass shooter.
Company stance
Shooter's account banned for policy violations
OpenAI said it banned Van Rootselaar's account on ChatGPT in June for policy violations. However, the company maintained that these violations didn't meet the internal criteria for reporting to law enforcement. In response to the incident, Justice Minister Sean Fraser told reporters that they expect changes from OpenAI and if they aren't implemented quickly, the government will step in with regulations.
Future steps
OpenAI pledges to strengthen safety protocols
In light of the incident, OpenAI has pledged to strengthen its safety protocols and update Ottawa on the additional steps it is taking. The company said it banned Van Rootselaar's account in 2025 after systems flagged her activity as a potential misuse of their models for violent purposes. However, they concluded that the account didn't pose an imminent threat of serious harm to others.
Ministerial remarks
Any opportunity to prevent tragedies must be explored fully
Evan Solomon, Canada's Minister for Artificial Intelligence, expressed concern over OpenAI's decision not to inform law enforcement about Van Rootselaar's account. He said this was "very disturbing," but the company has a high threshold before involving police about alarming posts. Solomon also stressed that any opportunity to prevent such tragedies must be explored fully under the law.