OpenAI connection to Tumbler Ridge tragedy puts balance between privacy and public safety in the spotlight
OpenAI connection to Tumbler Ridge tragedy puts balance between privacy and public safety in the spotlight
OpenAI connection to Tumbler Ridge tragedy puts balance between privacy and public safety in the spotlight
OpenAI’s decision not to alert law enforcement of its concerns about a user who went on to commit a mass murder has raised questions about how to balance privacy, surveillance, and public safety.
OpenAI’s decision not to alert law enforcement of its concerns about a user who went on to commit a mass murder has raised thorny questions about how to balance individual privacy from corporate and government surveillance when protecting public safety.
The US AI company confirmed a Wall Street Journal report to BetaKit this week that it had banned Tumbler Ridge, BC mass shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar’s ChatGPT account eight months before the Feb. 10 shooting. Van Rootselaar was kicked off the platform for misusing OpenAI’s models “in furtherance of violent activities,” but the company did not inform police of its concerns about her messages.
After learning of the decision, Canadian AI Minister Evan Solomon summoned senior OpenAI leaders to Ottawa Tuesday night to walk government officials through the American company’s safety protocols and escalation process. Solomon said he and other officials left that meeting disappointed; Justice Minister Sean Fraser has threatened to introduce new legislation unless OpenAI changes its approach.