A major new wave of legal action is targeting OpenAI over its alleged failure to prevent the Tumbler Ridge school shooting that claimed eight lives in February, including six children.
Legal representatives say they're filing 30 fresh lawsuits against the artificial intelligence giant in U.S. federal court in California. The new complaints come from teachers, principals, and students — including siblings who were separated during the devastating attack in northern British Columbia.
The legal filings paint a stark picture of survivors dealing with lasting physical and psychological trauma, according to documents from Edelson PC, the California-based firm handling the cases.
Safety Warnings Allegedly Ignored
Court documents reveal that OpenAI's own safety team repeatedly urged the company to alert authorities about the shooter's activity on ChatGPT roughly eight months before the tragedy. Those appeals allegedly included planning violent scenarios, according to the lawsuits.
However, the cases claim those concerns were overruled by Chris Lehane, OpenAI's head of global affairs, prioritizing the company's interests over public safety.
"The survivors — students, teachers, and parents alike — are living with physical and psychological injuries that will never fully heal," one lawsuit states.
Double Standard on Safety?
The new complaints also highlight what plaintiffs describe as a troubling contradiction: while OpenAI allegedly dismissed warnings about the shooter's threatening behaviour, the company took immediate action to protect its own employees when it learned of threats against them just three months before the shooting.
The lawsuits accuse OpenAI of "choosing profit over the lives of the children of Tumbler Ridge" as the company prepares for its transition to becoming publicly traded.
OpenAI's Response
Jason Kwon, OpenAI's chief strategy officer, responded via social media, saying the tragedy weighs on him daily. He stated the company has teams dedicated to establishing standards for when cases should be reported to law enforcement, working to balance identifying warning signs of serious violence with protecting user privacy.
"They work continuously to identify potential warning signals of serious violence, while also protecting the privacy and security of the vast majority of the more than one billion users who use our tools responsibly," Kwon said.
This latest round of litigation adds to seven existing cases already filed against OpenAI by families of victims in California courts.
This story is based on reporting by CBC Calgary. For the complete original coverage, visit CBC News.