OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has issued a public apology for his company's failure to inform law enforcement about the online behaviour of a teenager who later carried out one of Canada's deadliest mass shootings. In a letter published Friday on British Columbia Premier David Eby's social media and the local news site Tumbler RidgeLines, Altman wrote: "I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement to the account that was banned in June. While I know words can never be enough, I believe an apology is necessary to recognize the harm and irreversible loss your community has suffered."

The shooting took place on February 10 in Tumbler Ridge, a small remote community in northern British Columbia, Canada. Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, killed her 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother at home before travelling to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where she opened fire, killing five students and an educator. Twenty-five others were wounded. Van Rootselaar died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Following the attack, OpenAI revealed that Van Rootselaar's ChatGPT account had been flagged internally as far back as June 2024 for use "in furtherance of violent activities" — including submitting scenarios involving gun violence to the chatbot. Internal staff had also raised concerns with management. The company suspended the account for violating its usage policy but decided against referring the case to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, concluding at the time that the activity did not meet the threshold for a credible or imminent threat. OpenAI has since acknowledged that employees had urged leadership to contact authorities.

Altman said the letter was written at the encouragement of Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka and Premier Eby, both of whom had communicated the community's "anger, sadness, and concern" to him directly. Eby, while welcoming the apology, described it as "necessary, and yet grossly insufficient for the devastation done to the families of Tumbler Ridge." Altman pledged to work with all levels of government to prevent similar tragedies, reaffirming a commitment he said he had already made to local and provincial officials.

The case raises urgent questions about the responsibilities of AI companies when their platforms are used to plan or rehearse violent acts. Critics argue that OpenAI had both the information and the opportunity to act months before the shooting, while the company has pointed to the difficulty of distinguishing credible threats from other harmful but non-actionable content. The apology, though symbolic, sets a significant precedent for how AI firms may be expected to engage with law enforcement when potential threats are detected on their platforms.