Photo: SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP / Getty Images
Suchir Balaji, a former researcher at OpenAI who became a whistleblower, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment. The 26-year-old's death was ruled a suicide by the San Francisco medical examiner, with no evidence of foul play found by the police during their investigation.
Balaji had gained attention for his allegations against OpenAI, claiming the company violated copyright laws by using data without permission to develop its AI tools, including the popular ChatGPT. He voiced concerns that such practices were damaging to the internet and left OpenAI in August after four years with the company. In an interview with The New York Times in October, Balaji stated, "If you believe what I believe, you have to just leave the company."
Balaji, who grew up in Cupertino, California, and studied computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, was expected to play a significant role in upcoming lawsuits against OpenAI. These lawsuits, filed by news publishers and authors, allege illegal data scraping practices by the company.
OpenAI expressed its sorrow over Balaji's death, stating, "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news today, and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time." The company maintains that its AI models are trained on publicly available data and adhere to fair use principles.