Canada summons OpenAI safety team after school shooter used ChatGPT before attack
Government warns legislative action is coming unless platform strengthens reporting protocols
OTTAWA, Canada (MNTV) – The Canadian government summoned OpenAI’s safety team for urgent talks Tuesday after the company revealed it had banned an account belonging to an alleged mass shooter — but never reported it to police.
Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, is suspected of killing eight people on February 10 in Tumbler Ridge, a small town of roughly 2,400 in British Columbia, before taking her own life. OpenAI acknowledged it had banned her account for policy violations but said the activity did not meet its internal threshold for law enforcement referral.
The government’s message to the company was unambiguous.
“The message that we delivered, in no uncertain terms, was that we have an expectation that there are going to be changes implemented, and if they’re not forthcoming very quickly, the government is going to be making changes,” Justice Minister Sean Fraser told reporters.
Prime Minister Mark Carney was equally direct. “Anything that anyone could have done to prevent that tragedy or future tragedies must be done. We will fully explore it to the full lengths of the law,” he said.
OpenAI said Tuesday it would shortly update Ottawa on what additional steps it was taking. The company said it had banned Van Rootselaar’s account in 2025 after systems flagged it for “misuses of our models in furtherance of violent activities,” but determined the account did not present an imminent and credible threat of serious physical harm.
Van Rootselaar, who police say was born male but identified as a woman and had been transitioning for six years, had a history of mental health problems. Police had previously removed firearms from her home, though they were later returned.
Canada’s AI minister Evan Solomon said the government was “really disturbed” by reports that an opportunity to alert law enforcement may have been missed. Crime experts noted that while greater scrutiny of AI platforms is warranted, authorities may also have missed earlier opportunities to prevent the attack.
Canada’s Liberal government introduced draft legislation targeting online hate in 2024 but the effort stalled amid criticism that it was overly broad. Ministers have said they will try again this year with more targeted measures.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
