Mother Jones reveals Tumbler Ridge shooter used ChatGPT to plan attack and circumvent safety mechanisms

Mother Jones magazine reported that Tumbler Ridge shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar used OpenAI's ChatGPT to plan the attack and circumvent its safety mechanisms. The magazine's national affairs editor Mark Follman said he reviewed extensive chat logs between the shooter and ChatGPT before the incident, which were more detailed than previously known to the public. The report said the shooter's first account was banned for discussing an attack targeting a well-known mall, after which she used a second account, and ChatGPT suggested she describe the scenario as fictional or hypothetical to "no longer be flagged," adding "do not use real locations." The logs also showed ChatGPT specifically describing the lethal effects of a Remington 870 shotgun in close-range environments such as classrooms. OpenAI previously acknowledged internally flagging and shutting down the account, apologized for not notifying Canadian authorities, and admitted to missing the second account.