<\/p>\n
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the company is \u201cdeeply sorry\u201d it did not flag a school shooter\u2019s ChatGPT messages to law enforcement.<\/p>\n
Jessica Christian\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman<\/a> has apologized to the community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, saying his company should have alerted law enforcement after banning a ChatGPT account later linked to a mass shooting<\/a> that killed eight people, according to police.<\/p>\n In a letter dated April 23<\/a> and shared Friday by British Columbia Premier David Eby, the leader of the San Francisco artificial intelligence company said he was \u201cdeeply sorry\u201d it did not notify authorities after the account was banned last June.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to express my deepest condolences to the entire community,\u201d Altman wrote. \u201cNo one should ever have to endure a tragedy like this.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The apology adds to mounting scrutiny of how AI companies handle user activity that may signal a risk of violence \u2014 and when they should escalate those concerns to law enforcement.<\/p>\n The letter was published in full by the local outlet Tumbler RidgeLines<\/a> and confirmed as authentic by OpenAI to multiple news organizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n It comes more than two months after the February attack in the small northeastern British Columbia community. Police have said an 18-year-old shooter killed eight people, including children at a local school, before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. More than two dozen others were injured, according to authorities.<\/p>\n \u201cI am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement to the account that was banned in June,\u201d Altman wrote. \u201cWhile I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognize the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n OpenAI has previously said it identified the account through its abuse-detection systems and banned it for violating company policy. But the company did not refer the matter to police, saying at the time that the activity did not meet its threshold for a credible or imminent threat of serious physical harm.<\/p>\n In the letter, Altman said he had spoken in recent months with Eby and Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka and had heard directly about the grief and anger in the community.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pain your community has endured is unimaginable,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Residents hug as they place flowers at a memorial for the victims of a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada, on Thursday,\u00a0Feb. 12, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Christinne Muschi\/Associated Press<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot imagine anything worse in this world than losing a child,\u201d he added. \u201cMy heart remains with the victims, their families, all the members of the community, and the province of British Columbia.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n