Canada Summons OpenAI Execs on Shooting Suspect’s ChatGPT Use
(Bloomberg) — Canada summoned OpenAI executives after the company discussed referring a ChatGPT user to police but ultimately did not do so; months before the teenager became the sole suspect in the mass shooting.
Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, has been identified by police as the suspected killer of six children and two adults in the British Columbia town of Tumbler Ridge in one of Canada’s worst-ever mass shootings. Van Rootselaar is also believed to have died by suicide following the attack earlier this month.
OpenAI said on Friday that Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account was flagged in June 2025 by systems scanning for abuse, including potentially violent activity. The company considered referring the account to law enforcement at the time, but found no credible or imminent threat and determined the account did not meet the threshold. The account was later banned.
The AI giant’s top security executives will travel from the United States to meet with AI Minister Evan Solomon in Ottawa on Tuesday, his team said at a news conference Monday after meeting with company representatives a day earlier.
Solomon said media reports about OpenAI’s internal deliberations were “deeply troubling,” adding that the reports suggested the company “failed to contact law enforcement in a timely manner.”
The Wall Street Journal first reported that OpenAI had identified Van Rootselaar, citing anonymous sources who said the alleged killer “described scenarios involving gun violence” for several days. This triggered an internal debate among about a dozen staff, some of whom called for police to be contacted, the report said.
Solomon noted legislation being developed, including on privacy and so-called online harms, and said he was working closely with the province of B.C., as well as officials in the departments of justice, public safety and culture.
“We’re making sure all options are on the table to ensure Canadians stay safe,” he said, adding that “we’ll see” what OpenAI says about its protocols and upgrade methodology.
“Our job and our duty is to ensure that Canadians are protected.”
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