Family sues OpenAI after ChatGPT used to plan school attack in Canada
The family of a 12-year-old student injured in a February school shooting in Canada has sued OpenAI, alleging the company knew the attacker was planning violence via ChatGPT conversations but failed to notify authorities. Eight people died in the attack, and the girl suffered severe brain injuries.
What happened
On 10 February, an 18-year-old attacker opened fire at Tumbler Ridge school in Canada, killing eight people including five children and the attacker's mother. A 12-year-old girl, Maya Gembala, was shot in the head and neck.
The attacker had used ChatGPT to discuss violent scenarios before the attack. Her first ChatGPT account was disabled in June 2025 due to the nature of her conversations, but police were not notified. The attacker then created a second account and continued developing violent scenarios.
The family of the injured student filed a lawsuit alleging that at least twelve OpenAI employees flagged the conversations as indicating imminent serious harm and proposed notifying Canadian authorities, but the proposal was rejected.
Reported impact
Maya Gembala suffered catastrophic brain damage from three gunshots and remains hospitalized. The lawsuit alleges that OpenAI's failure to report the attacker's plans to authorities contributed to her severe injury.
Index analysis
OpenAI stated it did not notify police because the conversations did not meet its threshold for 'credible or imminent plan to cause serious bodily harm.' The company characterized the attack as an 'unspeakable tragedy' and stated it is cooperating with authorities.
Governance controls
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman contacted the Canadian Minister of Artificial Intelligence and the Premier of British Columbia, pledging to strengthen police notification protocols and dangerous user detection. The company announced plans for mental health expert evaluation of incidents, improved violation detection systems, and a direct communication channel with Canadian authorities.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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