Canadian minister to meet with OpenAI’s Altman to discuss safety measures after shooting

OTTAWA, Feb 27 (Reuters) – Canada’s minister in charge of artificial intelligence said on Friday he will meet with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman next week to discuss how the ChatGPT maker plans to boost safety protocols after a recent school shooting in British Columbia.

The Canadian government has urged OpenAI to boost its safety protocols quickly and warned Ottawa could effect change through legislation after the company said it had not contacted police about an account belonging to the alleged shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, that it had banned.

“While we note their willingness to strengthen law enforcement referral protocols, establish direct points of contact with Canadian authorities, and enhance safeguards, we have not yet seen a detailed plan for how these commitments will be implemented in practice,” Minister Evan Solomon said in a statement.

Solomon was responding to a letter he received from OpenAI’s vice president of global policy on Thursday in which the firm said it will set up a direct point of contact with Canadian law enforcement and improve detection of repeat violators of its “violent activities” policy to boost safety protocols.

Solomon said he will meet with Altman “to seek further clarity and to ensure that the commitments made are translated into concrete action.”

Van Rootselaar, 18, is suspected of killing eight people on February 10 before taking her own life in Tumbler Ridge. OpenAI said it banned her ChatGPT account last year for policy violations.

Solomon said he will also meet with other major platforms in Canada in the coming weeks.

“All options remain on the table as we assess what further steps may be necessary,” he added.

(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones and Ismail ShakilEditing by Rod Nickel)