OpenAI argued for calling the police about the suspicious Canadian chats

The 18-year-old who allegedly killed eight people in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, Canada, is said to have used OpenAI’s ChatGPT in ways that shocked the company’s employees.

Jesse Van Rootselaar’s talks on gun violence were identified by the company’s LLM monitoring tools and banned in June 2025.

The company’s employees debated whether or not to approach Canadian law enforcement officials about the matter but did not, according to in the Wall Street Journal. An OpenAI spokesperson said Van Rootselaar’s work did not meet legal reporting requirements; The company reached out to Canadian authorities after the incident.

ChatGPT’s posts weren’t the only thing about Van Rootselaar’s digital side. Apparently, he created a game on Roblox, the world’s favorite children’s simulation platform, which simulated a mass shooting in the market. He also posted about guns on Reddit.

Van Rootselaar’s instability was also noticed by the local police, who were called to his home after he set it on fire after taking an unknown drug.

LLM chatbots developed by OpenAI and its competitors have been accused of causing cognitive dissonance in users who are unable to perceive reality when interacting with digital models. More information cases to be has been written which refers to social media posts that encourage people to commit suicide or offer help to do so.

If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.