OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, had the opportunity to alert Canadian law enforcement about a user last year, who later committed one of the largest school shootings in the nation’s history.
In June, the company identified a profile belonging to Jesse Van Rutselaar within its abuse monitoring systems due to indications of “promoting violent activity.”
Based in San Francisco, OpenAI considered notifying the Royal Canadian Mounted Police but ultimately decided that the detected behavior did not meet the threshold for police intervention. The account was subsequently suspended in June 2025 for violating usage policies.
Recently, 18-year-old Van Rutselaar carried out a shooting in the remote area of Tamblar Ridge, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals before he reportedly took his own life.
The company clarified that a referral to law enforcement requires credible and imminent threats of serious physical harm to others. At the time, their risk assessment did not indicate such a threat.
OpenAI's monitoring system flagged a user for promoting violence but did not escalate the issue to authorities. This decision preceded a tragic shooting incident in Canada, raising questions about the thresholds for reporting potential threats.