The family of one of the Tumbler Ridge shooting victims filed a lawsuit against ChatGPT creator OpenAI.
According to CBC News, the mother of Maya Gebala, the 12-year-old who is still in the hospital following the Feb. 10 shooting, filed the lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court on Monday. In it, Gebala’s motherm Cia Edmonds, alleges that the tech company failed to alert authorities about violence-related chat prompts the shooter used in ChatGPT.
Additionally, the lawsuit claims that OpenAI designed ChatGPT in such a way that there were risks users “would become psychologically and socially dependent” upon the AI chatbot.
The claim states that Gebala was shot three times during the mass shooting on Feb. 10, which has reportedly caused a “catastrophic, traumatic brain injury” with “permanent cognitive and physical disability,” alongside other medical concerns.
It also states that Gebala’s younger sister is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression, alongside being impacted both physically and mentally for years to come.
Gebala’s younger sister is also listed as a plaintiff in the suit, as is Edmonds.
The lawsuit alleges that the shooter, later identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, interacted with the chatbot “multiple times” leading up to the shooting.
It also claims that, based on prompts sent to ChatGPT, the company knew or had to have known the shooter was using the software to plan a mass casualty event, stating that the chatbot took on the role of “counsellor, pseudo-therapist, trusted confidante, friend, and ally.”
It also notes that while the shooter’s account was shut down internally, law enforcement was not notified of the potential danger.
To no surprise, OpenAI has faced political backlash for suspending the account without notifying the proper authorities. Last Thursday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman travelled to B.C. to meet with Premier David Eby, and has agreed to formally apologize to the people of Tumbler Ridge.
OpenAI has also pledged to improve its safety measures for ChatGPT, acknowledging the shortcomings of how it handles law enforcement reports.
None of the claims have been proven in court.
Header image credit: Shutterstock
Source: CBC News
