British Columbia sues OpenAI over negligence in Tumbler Ridge shooting

British Columbia has sued OpenAI in a California federal court, accusing the AI firm of negligence for not alerting police about the Tumbler Ridge shooter’s chats with its chatbot. The lawsuit, filed by the province’s attorney general Niki Sharma, claims the tragedy could have been prevented if OpenAI had followed internal advice to notify the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after the shooter’s first account was flagged in early 2025. The province seeks damages and demands the company fund a new school in the small town where the shooting occurred.

The case follows a series of safety warnings issued to OpenAI earlier this year. In February, Canada’s government demanded the company tighten its threat‑detection procedures after employees flagged the shooter’s account for signs of real‑world violence. OpenAI banned the original account but later discovered a second one the user had opened. The firm pledged to report credible threats to law enforcement, and CEO Sam Altman publicly apologized for failing to do so when the first account was removed.

Provincial officials say OpenAI has not engaged meaningfully with Canadian authorities since the incident. Sharma argued that no technology, however new, should be exempt from accountability, likening the company’s inaction to aiding a criminal offense. She also noted that several AI leaders have called for a global slowdown of frontier AI, underscoring the known safety risks. In addition to the provincial suit, the victims’ families have filed a separate complaint alleging the same negligence.

The lawsuit could set a precedent for how AI providers are held responsible for user‑generated threats. If the court allows the claim, OpenAI may face substantial payouts and be forced to adopt stricter monitoring and reporting protocols. The case also raises broader questions about cross‑border jurisdiction and the obligations of tech firms to cooperate with law‑enforcement agencies worldwide.