Ottawa —
Sam Altman, head of OpenAI, has formally apologized to the community of Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, following the February shooting. He acknowledged that the company did not alert authorities about the disturbing online conversations between the shooter and the company’s AI chatbot, even after staff members internally reported the accounts.
“I deeply regret that I did not alert law enforcement about the banned account in June,” Altman said in an April 23 letter to the Tumbler Ridge community. “We know that words are never enough, but we believe an apology is necessary to recognize the harm and irreparable loss that has been suffered by our community.”
Altman’s letter was posted by British Columbia Premier David Eby on Friday.
“OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has issued a letter of apology to the people of Tumbler Ridge. While an apology is necessary, it is totally inadequate for the devastation inflicted on the families of Tumbler Ridge,” Eby wrote.
OpenAI faced intense scrutiny after it admitted that the 18-year-old shooter’s account had not been reported to police, despite the company’s staff pointing to the connection to gun violence.
British Columbia police say a gunman killed eight people in February, including six local school children.
Altman said in the letter that he has been in contact with authorities in Tumbler Ridge in recent months and that the suffering of local residents has been “unimaginable.”
“I would like to express my deepest condolences to the entire community. No one should have to endure a tragedy like this. I can’t think of anything worse in this world than losing a child. My thoughts are with the victims, their families, all members of the community, and the province of British Columbia,” Altman wrote.
Altman wrote in the letter that he is committed to finding ways to prevent “tragedies like this in the future.”
When asked for comment, OpenAI pointed to a letter it sent to Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence in response to the Tumbler Ridge shooting.
CNN’s Hadas Gold contributed reporting.
