Kathmandu— OpenAI is facing a wave of new lawsuits following the February mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, which left eight people dead. On Wednesday, 30 new complaints were filed in a U.S. federal court in California by teachers and students who were witnesses and survivors at the school where most of the shooting took place. The lawsuits accuse OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman of negligence for not reporting concerns about the shooter's interactions with ChatGPT to law enforcement.

Allegations Against OpenAI

The new cases, brought by lawyer Jay Edelson, allege that OpenAI knew about the intentions of the 18-year-old shooter who had described scenarios involving gun violence in interactions with ChatGPT. However, the company did not report these concerns to law enforcement. In April, Altman wrote a letter apologizing for this oversight and acknowledging the harm caused by the shooting.

Details of the Shooting

The shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, killed her mother and half-brother before going to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School where she opened fire. Five children and one educator were killed at the school, with more than 25 others wounded. Van Rootselaar died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Legal Pressure Mounts

In July, British Columbia’s Attorney General Niki Sharma announced that the province would pursue all legal avenues to hold OpenAI accountable for the shooting. The company has also faced lawsuits in Florida and Quebec alleging that ChatGPT played a role in incidents leading to users harming others or themselves.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.