-- Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI is facing multiple lawsuits alleging that the company could have prevented the suspected killer in the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia from using its chatbot ChatGPT ahead of the attack, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday.
According to the lawsuits, OpenAI knew that suspect Jesse Van Rootselaar was planning the attack due to the shooter's usage of ChatGPT, but made a "conscious decision not to warn authorities," a Bloomberg report said. Van Rootselaar allegedly carried out the mass shooting in February, killing eight people, and was found dead after the shooting from an apparent self-inflicted wound.
The lawsuits also allege that the company wanted to avoid contacting the police each time its safety team detected a ChatGPT user planning a violent act, according to the report.
OpenAI toldin an emailed statement that it had a "zero-tolerance policy" on the use of its tools to commit violence. "As we shared with Canadian officials, we have already strengthened our safeguards, including improving how ChatGPT responds to signs of distress, connecting people with local support and mental health resources, strengthening how we assess and escalate potential threats of violence, and improving detection of repeat policy violators," an OpenAI spokesperson said.
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