The chatbot murder guide: AI’s struggle between privacy and reporting violence

For months before the Tumbler Ridge school shooting, 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar reportedly consulted ChatGPT about how to commit mass murder. On February 10, 2026, he killed his mother and half-brother at home, then six people, including five students, at a school in British Columbia, before taking his own life. The province and victims’ families have sued OpenAI, which publicly apologised for not notifying authorities; the company did not respond to Al Jazeera’s requests for comment. The case has renewed debate over whether AI companies should report alarming conversations to law enforcement or protect users’ privacy.