Les survivants de la fusillade de Tumbler Ridge poursuivent OpenAI pour négligence

Survivors of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting have filed 30 lawsuits against OpenAI, accusing the tech giant of negligence in failing to report the shooter's violent chat history to authorities. The lawsuits, filed in U.S. federal court in California, allege that OpenAI did not share potentially life-saving information with police before the deadly attack in February. The case involves multiple plaintiffs, including one survivor who was shot in the chest and 29 others who witnessed the violence up close. The incident occurred in the northern British Columbia community of Tumbler Ridge, where Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, killed eight people before taking her own life. Prior to entering the local school, she murdered her mother and 11-year-old half-brother in their family home. The attack marked one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history. According to the lawsuit filings, the shooter engaged in violent discussions with ChatGPT, which the plaintiffs argue enabled her to plan the attack. The legal action includes seven previously filed lawsuits on behalf of victims who were killed, with an additional 30 set to follow. The new lawsuits claim that OpenAI was aware of the shooter's potential threat but chose not to alert police, fearing that such disclosure might necessitate the creation of an internal reporting system for violent users. This, the plaintiffs allege, could jeopardize the company's upcoming initial public offering, valued at up to a trillion dollars. Jay Edelson, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, emphasized the urgency of bringing these cases to trial, stating that it could compel OpenAI to disclose the contents of the shooter's conversations with ChatGPT. These disclosures, he argued, could demonstrate the dangers associated with the chatbot. “These cases have to get to a jury soon, not just for our clients but for public safety,” Edelson stated. In response, OpenAI’s chief strategy officer, Jason Kwon, issued a statement disputing the allegations. He asserted that the company’s intelligence and investigations team works diligently to balance public safety with user privacy, particularly in complex situations. Kwon claimed that the judgment made by the team is always guided by a commitment to protecting individuals, and that the accusations of political or public relations motives are unfounded. Among the plaintiffs is a 13-year-old boy named A.C., who survived the attack by pretending to be dead among the bodies of his classmates. Another survivor is Deidre Rushlow, a Grade 7 teacher who took shelter with her students during the attack. She locked her classroom door and hid the children beneath her desk. The shooter later approached the back door and fired into the room, with bullets striking the walls near Rushlow and her students. Edelson described the emotional toll of the tragedy on the small mining community, noting that survivors watched their peers suffer and, in some instances, perish. “It basically was a scene out of a war,” he said, highlighting the profound impact of the event on the residents of Tumbler Ridge. The ongoing legal proceedings aim to address the alleged failures of OpenAI and seek justice for the victims and their families.