A former researcher at OpenAI was found dead in his California apartment last month, authorities said. Suchir Balaji, 26, had become a whistleblower against OpenAI in recent months, publicly speaking out about the company’s practices and questioning whether or not they were legal.
Balaji died by suicide, the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office told CBS News in a statement. There were no indications of foul play.
His body was discovered on November 26 in his San Francisco apartment, where OpenAI is headquartered, CBS News affiliate BBC News reported, citing police. Officers said they conducted a welfare check at Balaji’s home after receiving a call asking them to do so.
Balaji’s family told the Associated Press that they are planning a memorial for him to take place later in December at the India Community Center in Milpitas, California, near his birthplace. His parents, Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy, told the AP they are looking for answers about their son’s death, describing him as a “happy, smart and courageous young man.”
Balaji Ramamurthy / AP
“We are devastated to hear this incredibly sad news and our thoughts go out to Suchir’s loved ones at this difficult time,” an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to the Associated Press.
Balaji, a native of Cupertino, California, worked as a researcher at OpenAI for four years before leaving the company in August. He alleged in an October interview with The New York Times that OpenAI, an artificial intelligence organization co-founded by Tesla magnate Elon Musk, had violated U.S. copyright law in developing ChatGPT, which Balaji himself helped build during his time at the company . Balaji subsequently told the Associated Press that he would “seek to testify” in the most serious infringement cases against his former employer.
OpenAI is now facing a group of lawsuits filed by several news publishers in the US and Canada, as well as some individuals – including The New York Times and authors John Grisham and Jodie Picoult – accusing OpenAI of illegally using their intellectual property to train the online chatbot. Although Musk originally co-founded OpenAI, he waged a months-long attack on the company, recently claiming in a lawsuit that its transformation into a for-profit company is “illegal.”
John Schulman, who also co-founded OpenAI and announced his own departure from the company in August, shared a tribute to Balaji after his death in a statement that Balaji’s father posted on social media.
In it, Schulman said he was “heartbroken to hear of Suchir’s passing” and called Balaji “one of my favorite and most talented collaborators.”
CBS News reached out to OpenAI but did not immediately receive a response.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. That is also possible chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.
For more information about mental health resources and supportThe National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine is available Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 10 PM ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email info@nami.org.
