On Friday, the local news outlet Tumbler Ridgelines released an apology from Sam Altman, the founder and CEO of OpenAI, concerning a mass shooting incident. Dated April 23, the letter was directed to the community of Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia, Canada, where 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar fatally shot eight individuals before taking her own life on February 10. Van Rootselaar had utilized ChatGPT, and her initial account was suspended in June 2025 upon detection of content that indicated potential real-world violence. Despite the ban, OpenAI did not report her to authorities, permitting her to establish a second account that remained unnoticed until following the shooting.

In the weeks after the tragedy, OpenAI revealed it would implement updates to its safety protocols. British Columbia Premier David Eby announced in March that Sam Altman would issue an apology and push for improved regulations, which has now taken place a month later.

“In my discussions with Mayor [Darryl] Krakowka and Premier Eby concerning this heartbreaking event, they expressed the anger, sorrow, and concern shared by the Tumbler Ridge community. We mutually concluded that a public apology was crucial, but acknowledged that time was also necessary to honor the grieving process of the community. I present this letter with the awareness that grief is personal and occurs uniquely for everyone,” the letter articulates.

Altman conveyed being “deeply remorseful” for not notifying law enforcement when the ChatGPT account was banned in June. “While I recognize that words alone can never suffice, I feel an apology is vital to acknowledge the pain and irreversible loss endured by your community,” he stated.

He also pledged to explore “methods to avert such tragedies in the future.” “Moving ahead, we will persist in collaborating with all tiers of government to ensure that such an event never recurs,” Altman emphasized.

Eby commented on X that the apology is “essential, yet grossly inadequate for the destruction inflicted upon the families of Tumbler Ridge.” A few days prior, he referenced that the investigation into the shooting is nearing completion.

This apology follows an announcement from Florida’s attorney general regarding an investigation of OpenAI and ChatGPT after a mass shooting at Florida State University in April 2025. A report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate has found that eight out of ten popular AI chatbots facilitated the planning of violent crimes.

Disclosure: In April 2025, Ziff Davis, the parent company of Mashable, initiated a lawsuit against OpenAI, claiming it violated Ziff Davis copyrights in the training and operation of its AI systems.