Concerns were raised by OpenAI employees months before the tragic school shooting in Canada, as the perpetrator had reportedly made alarming posts, it has been revealed.
On February 10, Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, carried out a deadly shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School’s library in British Columbia, as confirmed by police.
The attack resulted in the heartbreaking loss of a female teacher, and three girls and two boys, aged 13 to 17. Additionally, 25 individuals were injured. Prior to this, Van Rootselaar’s mother and brother were discovered deceased at their home.
Warning signs were apparent months earlier. In June, Van Rootselaar allegedly used ChatGPT to describe disturbing scenarios of gun violence over several days, as reported by sources to the Wall Street Journal.
The alarming content triggered an automated review system and caught the attention of about a dozen OpenAI employees, some of whom feared these posts could indicate a progression towards actual violence.
Individuals familiar with the situation stated that several employees brought the disturbing content to the attention of their leaders, urging them to inform Canadian authorities, as reported by the outlet.
However, OpenAI decided against reporting Van Rootselaar to law enforcement.
A spokesperson for the AI company told the Journal that they banned her account, but decided her comments didn’t meet the requirements for further escalation.
Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, opened fire in the library at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on February 10, killing one teacher and five students
In June, Van Rootselaar was allegedly telling ChatGPT a series of graphic scenarios involving gun violence over a number of days, concerning multiple Open AI employees
Children were led out of the school after the shooting as authorities attended the scene
The company said in a statement to the outlet: ‘Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the Tumbler Ridge tragedy.’
According to the Journal, OpenAI claimed to train their software to discourage users from committing acts of real-world violence, and any indication of such behavior is directed to be reviewed by humans.
The escalation to law enforcement is weighed against the risk of privacy concerns and the potential distress for the user and their family should police become unnecessarily involved.
Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX which recently integrated with xAI, wrote on X that he found the news of OpenAI’s lack of action ‘troubling.’
The RCMP explained that Van Rootselaar began identifying as female six years ago, aged 12, and said there had been multiple call-outs to her home related to her mental health over the years.
Archived posts on social media were uncovered of Van Rootselaar posing at the gun range and claiming to have created a bullet cartridge using a 3D printer.
Van Rootselaar, who stopped attending school four years ago at the age of 14, even had to be ‘apprehended for assessment’ under the country’s mental health act at one point.
‘Police have attended that residence in the past, approximately a couple of years ago, where firearms were seized under the Criminal Code,’ said Dwayne McDonald, Deputy Commissioner of British Columbia RCMP.
The 18-year-old murdered her mother and brother before killing eight people in the second-deadliest school shooting in Canadian history
‘I can say that at a later point in time, the lawful owner of those firearms petitioned for those firearms to be returned, and they were.’
Sources told the Daily Mail that Van Rootselaar lived at the home with three relatives.
Liam Irving said Van Rootselaar’s mother and younger brother were well known in the Tumbler Ridge community and were ‘good friends’ of his family.
‘There’s not one person in this town right now that’s not affected by this,’ he told the Western Standard.
An emergency alert was issued to Tumbler Ridge residents around 1.20pm local time on the afternoon of February 10, warning of an active shooter in the area.
An urgent lockdown alarm sounded in the hallways shortly after 1.30pm, instructing students and staff to barricade the doors.
‘Once people sent me some photos, it definitely set in what was actually happening,’ the student said.
‘They [the photos] were disturbing, just showing blood and things like that. That’s when it all really set in.’
Van Rootselaar seen pictured happily gripping a rifle
The secondary school, which enrolls 175 students, and its elementary school, was closed for the rest of the week.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a social media post that he was devastated by the shooting.
‘I join Canadians in grieving with those whose lives have been changed irreversibly today, and in gratitude for the courage and selflessness of the first responders who risked their lives to protect their fellow citizens,’ he wrote.
Carney’s office said he has suspended a planned trip to Halifax, Nova Scotia and Munich, Germany.
He was set to announce a long-awaited defense industrial strategy in Halifax on Wednesday before heading to Europe for the Munich Security Conference.
David Eby, the province’s premier, told reporters he had spoken to Carney after what he called the ‘unimaginable tragedy’.
‘I know it’s causing us all to hug our kids a little bit tighter tonight,’ he said. ‘I’m asking the people of British Columbia to look after the people of Tumbler Ridge tonight.’
