Elon Musk Warns Parents: “Keep Children Away from ChatGPT” After Massacre in Canada

What Did OpenAI Know? The Secret Behind the Attack in Canada

The dispute between Elon Musk and Sam Altman over the safety of artificial intelligence chatbots has returned to the center of the global debate following a tragic school shooting in Canada.

The episode involving Jesse Van Rootselaar has raised serious questions about the role of AI systems such as ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, in the lives of vulnerable users.

Elon Musk Issues Direct Warning to Parents

Billionaire Elon Musk once again publicly criticized ChatGPT and issued a direct warning to parents in a post on the social media platform X (Twitter).

The entrepreneur’s statement read:

“Keep ChatGPT away from kids and the mentally unwell.”

The comment was posted after Musk shared a message from the user Hernan Cortes, who raised suspicions about the chatbot’s role in the case.

The post stated:

“The transgender shooter from the Tumbler Ridge school developed a complex plan to carry out a massacre in ChatGPT. A dozen employees saw the plans and wanted to alert the police but were stopped by company leadership. Why?”

According to Musk, the incident raises serious doubts about the safety of AI-based chatbots.

The Massacre in the Mountain Town of Tumbler Ridge

The case cited by Musk occurred on February 10, in one of the deadliest school shootings in Canada in recent decades, in the small mountain town of Tumbler Ridge, located in the province of British Columbia.

The attacker was identified as Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old transgender woman and former student of the school.

According to Canadian police:

• Van Rootselaar began the attack at home
• Killed her own mother and a half-brother
• Then went to the school
• Murdered one teacher and five students

In total, eight people were killed and about 25 others were injured in the attack.

After the massacre, the attacker took her own life.

Report Points to Violent Conversations With ChatGPT

A report from The Wall Street Journal revealed that the attacker’s conversations with ChatGPT described scenarios involving gun violence over several days.

According to the newspaper:

• The messages were flagged by an automated review system
• About a dozen OpenAI employees discussed the possibility of alerting the police
• The company ultimately decided not to forward the information to authorities

A spokesperson for OpenAI confirmed that the attacker’s account was banned, but said the activity did not meet the threshold required for a formal report to law enforcement.

Public Dispute Between Elon Musk and Sam Altman

The tragedy also intensified the dispute between Elon Musk and Sam Altman.

Earlier this year, Musk reposted an allegation claiming that ChatGPT had already been linked to several deaths.

He shared a post from the user DogeDesigner, which stated:

“ChatGPT has already been linked to 9 deaths related to its use and, in 5 cases, its interactions allegedly led to suicide, including teenagers and adults.”

Musk accompanied the post with another public warning:

“Do not let your loved ones use ChatGPT.”

Sam Altman Responds and Criticizes Tesla and Grok

The statement angered Sam Altman, who responded by criticizing Elon Musk’s companies, including Tesla and xAI, the company responsible for the chatbot Grok.

Altman said:

“Apparently, more than 50 people have died in accidents related to Autopilot. I only rode in a car with it activated once, some time ago, but my first thought was that it was far from being something safe for Tesla to release.”

He added:

“I won’t even comment on some of the decisions regarding Grok.”

Victim’s Family Files Lawsuit Against OpenAI

The case gained new legal developments when the mother of student Maya Gebala, who was injured in the attack, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI.

The lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

According to the petition, Van Rootselaar allegedly treated ChatGPT as a collaborator and confidant during the interactions leading up to the attack.

The lawsuit also claims that the chatbot provided information, guidance, and assistance in planning a multi-victim event.

OpenAI Says Account Was Banned Before the Tragedy

In a statement, OpenAI confirmed that the ChatGPT account used by Van Rootselaar had been banned months before the attack, after the company identified misuse of the platform to promote violent activities.

The company said it evaluated whether to notify authorities, but concluded that:

• there was no evidence of imminent planning
• the activity did not meet the threshold required for reporting to police

According to the company, intervening in such cases may raise concerns about privacy and impact on families.

OpenAI also stated:

“What happened in Tumbler Ridge was an indescribable tragedy.”

The company added that it continues to work with government and law enforcement authorities to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Debate Over Chatbots and Mental Health

The case has reignited a broader debate about the risks of artificial intelligence for mental health.

Chatbots based on large language models (LLMs) — such as those developed by OpenAI and its competitors — have been accused in lawsuits of:

• encouraging self-destructive behavior
• promoting suicide among vulnerable users
• triggering psychological breakdowns in people who lose contact with reality during interactions with AI

Gender Identity of the Attacker

According to Canadian police, Van Rootselaar was a transgender woman who had begun her gender transition process about six years before the attack.

The case remains under investigation and continues to be at the center of a global debate about the limits, risks, and responsibilities of artificial intelligence.

Cover photo of Elon Musk: (Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr / CC BY-SA 4.0 License)

Sources consulted: The Wall Street Journal, The Times of India, and The Independent.