Canada’s minister for artificial intelligence has summoned senior staff from OpenAI on Tuesday over the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, in which eight people were killed including six young children.
The company said last week it banned a ChatGPT account owned by the shooting suspect more than half a year before the attack but did not alert authorities at the time as it did not meet a serious harm threshold.
AI Minister Evan Solomon said the OpenAI staff will be asked to discuss “safety protocols” and when harmful posts are relayed to law enforcement.
The suspect in the 10 February attack was identified by police as 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it is still investigating the incident, including “a thorough review of the content and electronic devices, as well as social media and online activities” related to the suspect.
In a statement to the BBC, the RCMP confirmed that OpenAI had reached out after the incident regarding the suspect’s activity on its platforms.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on Friday that Van Rootselaar’s account was banned for troubling posts, including ones that featured scenarios of gun violence.
Solomon, Canada’s AI minister, told reporters on Monday that he was very disturbed by the revelation, and that his team reached out to OpenAI over the weekend for “an explanation about the situation”.
He added that he will be meeting with the OpenAI’s senior safety team, who are flying from the US to Ottawa for a Tuesday evening meeting.
“We will have a sit-down meeting to have an explanation of their safety protocols and their thresholds of escalation to police so we have a better understanding of what’s happening and what they do,” he said.
The firm confirmed in a statement that senior leaders will be in Ottawa “to discuss our overall approach to safety, safeguards we have in place, and how we continuously work to strengthen them”.
“This was a devastating tragedy, and we are doing all we can to support the ongoing investigation,” an OpenAI spokesperson said.
OpenAI has said that it did not alert authorities to the suspect’s account because its usage did not meet its threshold of a credible or imminent plan for serious physical harm to others.
It said its thoughts were with everyone affected by the tragedy and that following the attack it had “proactively” contacted Canadian police with information on the suspect.
According to the Wall Street Journal, “about a dozen staffers debated whether to take action on Van Rootselaar’s posts”.
Some had identified the suspect’s usage of the AI tool as an indication of real world violence and encouraged leaders to alert authorities, the US outlet reported.
But, it said, leaders of the company decided not to do so.
The attack, which occurred at the suspect’s residence and a secondary school in Tumbler Ridge, is one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history.
Police said Van Rootselaar was a local to the town of about 2,300 people, and was known to law enforcement due to a history of mental health-related visits over the years to the suspect’s home.
Van Roostelaar died of a self-inflicted gun shot wound during the attack. The suspect’s mother and 11-year-old step-brother were also killed, along with five young children and educator at the school.
Families in Tumbler Ridge have begun holding memorial services for the victims. One family, however, said they had to cancel a planned private funeral for their young daughter after receiving threats.
The RCMP said it is aware of the threats, and have implemented “a safety plan” as they investigate.
Separately, the brother of the suspected shooter, Jacob Van Rootselaar, was arrested by police in Alberta last week for breaking bail as he awaits trial for attempted murder.
Jacob is now facing additional charges related to weapons and breach of court orders. He is due to appear in court in March.
By BBC News
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