British Columbia Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Failure to Warn of Tumbler Ridge Shooter

The Canadian province of British Columbia has initiated legal action against OpenAI, alleging the technology giant failed to notify authorities about the Tumbler Ridge shooter’s interactions with its chatbot. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, the lawsuit accuses the company of designing an unsafe product and acting negligently by not alerting law enforcement to the shooter’s online activities.

The complaint asserts that the shooting could have been prevented had OpenAI followed the advice of its human reviewers, who recommended notifying the Royal Canadian Mounted Police regarding the individual’s behavior on the platform. In February, the Canadian government demanded safety reforms from OpenAI after it emerged that employees had flagged the shooter’s account in 2025 due to potential warnings of real-world violence, yet no alerts were sent to authorities.

Although the shooter’s original account was banned, OpenAI later discovered she had created a second profile. In response, the company committed to reporting credible threats, and CEO Sam Altman issued an apology for the initial failure to report.

British Columbia Premier David Eby described Altman’s apology as “necessary, and yet grossly insufficient.” The lawsuit further claims that OpenAI has not meaningfully engaged with Canadian officials on safety issues since the incident. Niki Sharma, the attorney general of British Columbia, stated, “In any other circumstance where a person aids, encourages or conspires to commit a criminal offense or is criminally negligent, they can be investigated, prosecuted and judged. No company should be exempt from accountability simply because the technology is new.” Sharma also noted that AI CEOs have acknowledged safety risks by calling for a global slowdown in frontier AI development.

The suit was filed in California, OpenAI’s home state, rather than in Canada, a move that could potentially result in larger financial payouts for the victims’ families. Additionally, the province is seeking funds from OpenAI to build a new school in Tumbler Ridge. The company also faces a separate negligence complaint filed directly by the victims’ families.