ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has said it considered alerting Canadian police last year about the activities of the man who carried out one of the worst school shootings in the country’s history, months later.
OpenAI said that last June the company identified Jesse Van Rutselaer’s account through abuse detection efforts to “promote violent activities.”
The San Francisco tech company said Friday that it considered whether to refer the account to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), but determined at that time that the account activity did not meet the threshold for referral to law enforcement.
OpenAI banned the account in June 2025 for violating its usage policy.
An 18-year-old boy who killed eight people in a remote part of British Columbia last week has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
OpenAI stated that the threshold for referring a user to law enforcement is whether the case involves an imminent and credible risk of serious physical harm to others. The company said it had not identified any credible or imminent plans. The Wall Street Journal first reported OpenAI’s revelation.
OpenAI said that, after learning about the school shooting, staff reached out to the RCMP with information about the individual and their use of ChatGPT.
An OpenAI spokesperson said, “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the Tumbler Ridge tragedy.” “We proactively reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with information regarding the individual and their use of ChatGPT, and we will continue to support their investigation.”
RCMP said Van Ruetselaer killed his mother and half-brother at the family home before attacking a nearby school. Van Ruetselaer has a history of mental health-related contacts with police.
The motive of the firing is not clear.
The town of 2,700 people is in the Canadian Rockies, more than 1,000 km (600 mi) northeast of Vancouver, near the provincial border with Alberta.
Police said the victims included a 39-year-old teaching assistant and five students aged between 12 and 13.
The attack was Canada’s deadliest since 2020, when a gunman killed 13 people and opened fire in Nova Scotia, killing nine others.
