TORONTO:
Canada summoned OpenAI’s top executives to Ottawa to explain the company’s decision not to report the suspicious online activities of an individual who killed eight people this month.
OpenAI confirmed that in June 2025, its abuse detection efforts identified a ChatGPT account linked to Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old transgender woman who murdered her mother, brother, and six people at a school in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, on February 10.
The company told AFP the account was identified through an investigative process aimed at looking for use linked to violent activity. The account was banned that month, but the company did not notify Canadian police at the time.
This decision is “very worrying,” Canadian Minister of Artificial Intelligence Evan Solomon told reporters on Monday. “I summoned the OpenAI senior security team in the United States to come here to Ottawa,” Solomon said. “They will come here tomorrow (Tuesday) and we will have a meeting to get an explanation of their security protocols,” he added.
OpenAI said it sets a high bar when deciding whether to involve law enforcement after identifying a suspicious account. Regarding Van Rootselaar, she decided not to inform Canadian police because her use of ChatGPT did not indicate credible or imminent planning of an attack.
“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the Tumbler Ridge tragedy,” the company said.
