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Families sue OpenAI and Sam Altman over Tumbler Ridge mass shooting

techApr 29, 202628339

Seven families of victims in the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman in U.S. federal court, saying the company identified the shooter as a credible threat eight months before the attack but did not notify police. The suit asserts OpenAI flagged violent messages on ChatGPT and withheld warnings to avoid harming Sam Altman and the company’s IPO preparations. The shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, ranks among Canada’s deadliest, and the families connect those deaths to how OpenAI handled the flagged threats. A court ruling could set a legal precedent on whether AI companies must monitor and alert police about dangerous users of their chatbots.

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