Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has issued an apology for his company’s failure to notify law enforcement about concerning online activities linked to an individual who tragically took eight lives in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia.
In a heartfelt letter shared on Friday, Altman extended his deepest sympathies to the affected community.
“I am profoundly sorry that we did not notify law enforcement about the account that was banned in June,” Altman stated.
“While I understand that words cannot undo the tragic events, I feel it is essential to apologize and acknowledge the harm and profound loss your community has experienced.”
The letter, dated Thursday, was shared on social media by B.C. Premier David Eby and also appeared on the local news outlet Tumbler RidgeLines on Friday.
According to police, on February 10, an 18-year-old suspect, identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, allegedly took the lives of her 39-year-old mother, Jennifer Jacobs, and 11-year-old stepbrother, Emmett Jacobs, at their home in northern British Columbia. She then proceeded to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where she fatally shot five children and a teacher before taking her own life.
Twenty-five people were also injured in the attack.
After the shootings, OpenAI came forward to say that last June the company identified Van Rootselaar’s account using abuse detection efforts for “furtherance of violent activities.”
The San Francisco technology company said it considered whether to refer the account to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but determined at the time that the account activity didn’t meet a threshold for referral to law enforcement. OpenAI banned the account in June for violating its usage policy.
At the time, Eby said it “looks like” OpenAI had the opportunity to prevent the mass shooting.
In his letter, Altman said he had spoken with Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka and Eby and they “conveyed the anger, sadness and concern” felt in the community. It was agreed a public apology was warranted but time was needed for the community to grieve.
“I want to express my deepest condolences to the entire community,” Altman said. “No one should ever have to endure a tragedy like this. I cannot imagine anything worse in this world than losing a child.
“My heart remains with the victims.”
Altman reaffirmed his commitment to find ways to prevent similar tragedies.
“Going forward, our focus will continue to be on working with all levels of government to help ensure something like this never happens again,” he said.
Eby, in a social media post, called the apology “necessary, and yet grossly insufficient for the devastation done to the families of Tumbler Ridge.”
