OTTAWA — Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon says he has called representatives of OpenAI to Ottawa to discuss safety concerns after a report emerged about the Tumbler Ridge shooter’s engagement with the AI platform ChatGPT.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Jesse Van Rootselaar’s account was banned last June after it was flagged for troubling posts, including some that included scenarios of gun violence.
While the report says employees considered alerting authorities, OpenAI says the posts did not meet the threshold required to inform police because they didn’t include credible or imminent plans.
Solomon says he is deeply disturbed by the reports and he contacted the company over the weekend to get more information and to arrange a meeting in Ottawa on Tuesday.
He says he expects the company’s top safety representatives to explain its protocols and how it decides to forward cases to law enforcement.
Solomon would not say whether the federal government intends to regulate AI chatbots like ChatGPT but insists all options are on the table.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2026.
Canadian Press staff, The Canadian Press
