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An 18-year-old who allegedly killed eight people in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, reportedly used OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT in ways that alarmed the company\u2019s staff.<\/p>\n
Jesse Van Rootselaar\u2019s chats describing gun violence were flagged by tools that monitor the company\u2019s LLM for misuse and banned in June 2025. <\/p>\n
Staff at the company debated whether or not to reach out to Canadian law enforcement over the behavior but ultimately did not, according to the Wall Street Journal<\/a>. An OpenAI spokesperson said Van Rootselaar\u2019s activity did not meet the criteria for reporting to law enforcement; the company reached out to Canadian authorities after the incident.<\/p>\n ChatGPT transcripts weren\u2019t the only concerning part of Van Rootselaar\u2019s digital footprint. She apparently created a game on Roblox, the world simulation platform frequented by children, which simulated a mass shooting at a mall. She also posted about guns on Reddit. <\/p>\n Van Rootselaar\u2019s instability was also known to local police, who had been called to her family\u2019s home after she started a fire while under the influence of unspecified drugs.<\/p>\n LLM chatbots built by OpenAI and its competitors have been accused of triggering mental breakdowns in users who lose grip on reality while conversing with digital models. Multiple<\/a> lawsuits<\/a> have<\/a> been filed that cite chat transcripts that encourage people to commit suicide or offer assistance in doing so.<\/p>\n If you are in a crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline<\/em>.<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoston, MA<\/span>
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJune 9, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n