By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Canadian officials expressed disappointment that OpenAI representatives did not present new safety measures in a meeting on Tuesday after the ChatGPT maker said it did not contact police about an account it banned belonging to an alleged mass shooter.
Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, is suspected of killing eight people on February 10 before taking her own life in a small town in British Columbia. OpenAI said it banned her account last year on ChatGPT for policy violations, which it said did not meet internal criteria for reporting to law enforcement.
Evan Solomon, the federal minister in charge of artificial intelligence, summoned OpenAI’s top safety officials for a meeting in Ottawa.
“We made it clear that Canadians expect credible warning signs of serious violence to be escalated in a timely and responsible way. Internal review alone is not sufficient when public safety is at stake,” Solomon said in a statement after the meeting.
“We expressed our disappointment that no substantial new safety measures were presented at this time. OpenAI indicated they will return shortly with more concrete proposals tailored to the Canadian context.”
Solomon said OpenAI confirmed the company was cooperating with Canadian police, though details of the ongoing investigation were not discussed. Public safety, culture and justice ministers also joined the meeting.
OpenAI said it had taken steps in recent months to strengthen safeguards and made changes to law enforcement referral protocol for cases involving violent activities.
“The ministers underscored that Canadians expect continued concrete action and we heard that message loud and clear,” the company said in a statement. “We’ve committed to follow up in the coming days with an update on additional steps we’re taking, as we continue to support law enforcement and work with the government on strengthening AI safety for all Canadians.”
In 2024, Canada’s Liberal government introduced draft legislation to crack down on online hate, but the effort stalled amid criticism it was too broad in scope. Ministers say they will try again this year with a revised bill.
Van Rootselaar, who police say was born male but identified as a woman and began transitioning six years ago, had a history of mental health problems. The killings took place in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, a town of around 2,400.
OpenAI says it banned Van Rootselaar’s account in 2025 after it was flagged by systems that identify “misuses of our models in furtherance of violent activities.”
The company considered contacting police, but determined the account did not meet the threshold of posing an imminent and credible risk of serious physical harm to others.
(Reporting by David LjunggrenEditing by Rod Nickel and Saad Sayeed)
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