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OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji found dead by suicide in San Francisco apartment

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OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji found dead by suicide in San Francisco apartment


A former OpenAI researcher-turned-whistleblower was found dead last month in his San Francisco apartment by way of suicide, according to authorities.

Suchir Balaji, 26, was found dead on Nov. 26 by San Francisco police officers who went to the apartment after being called to conduct a wellness check, The Mercury News reports.

The medical examiner’s office has ruled that there was no evidence of foul play and that his death is believed to be self-inflicted, according to the outlet.

Former OpenAI researcher-turned-whistleblower Suchir Balaji died last month. Suchir Balaji/LinkedIn

Prior to his death, Balaji publicly accused OpenAI of violating US copyright law with its generative AI app, ChatGPT.

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The California native joined the artificial intelligence company as a researcher in 2022 but was quickly disturbed by the workings of the image and text generation programs.

Back in October, Balaji was the subject of a New York Times profile that detailed what he believes are fair use violations committed regularly by ChatGPT.

On Nov. 18, The Times filed a letter in federal court that named Balaji as a person with “unique and relevant documents” that they would use in their current litigation against OpenAI, The Mirror reports.


Balaji accused OpenAI of violating US copyright law with its generative AI app, ChatGPT.
Balaji accused OpenAI of violating US copyright law with its generative AI app, ChatGPT.
Iliya Mitskavets – stock.adobe.com

That lawsuit alleges that Microsoft and OpenAI are simply cribbing the work of their reporters and editors with flagrant disregard for journalistic ethics and legality.

“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,” OpenAI said in a statement to CNBC.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

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San Francisco police tipped FBI that Luigi Mangione could be UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter

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San Francisco police tipped FBI that Luigi Mangione could be UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter


More details surface about UHC CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione

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More details surface about UHC CEO shooting suspect Luigi Mangione

03:13

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The New York Field Office of the FBI on Friday confirmed that San Francisco police provided a tip regarding the possible identity of the suspect in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week. 

The tip from the San Francisco Police Department regarding 26-year-old Luigi Mangione was the latest Bay Area connection to surface since the Dec. 4 slaying of Thompson outside of a New York City Hilton hotel.

Mangione had already been identified as a person of interest in the case when he was arrested Monday on firearms and other charges in Pennsylvania. Authorities were tipped off after he was seen at a McDonald’s in Altoona. He has been charged with murder in connection with the shooting.

Police in San Francisco had already seen photos of suspect Luigi Mangione days before the shooting after Mangione’s mother filed a missing person report with the SFPD, a person close to the investigation told CBS News.   

In a statement provided to CBS New York reporter Ali Bauman on Friday, an FBI New York Field Office spokesperson confirmed that “a tip was received from the San Francisco Police Department regarding the possible identity of the suspect.” 

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The FBI subsequently referred that tip and other leads to NYPD as the agency assisted in the investigation.

“Extensive sharing of the photos by law enforcement led to the identification by a citizen and subsequent arrest by the Altoona Police Department,” the statement added.

In addition to the missing person report filed with the San Francisco Police Department by Mangione’s mother, the suspect had previously spent time in the Bay Area in 2019 when he worked as an artificial intelligence teaching assistant at a Stanford summer program, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Stanford officials confirmed that “a person by the name of Luigi Mangione was employed as a head counselor under the Stanford pre-collegiate studies program between May and September of 2019.”

He is currently being held under maximum security at a State Correctional Institution (SCI) Huntingdon, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.  

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49ers LB Pulls Same Stunt as Ravens’ Diontae Johnson

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49ers LB Pulls Same Stunt as Ravens’ Diontae Johnson


The Baltimore Ravens’ trade for wide receiver Diontae Johnson has quickly turned into a disaster, as he’s barely seen the field and recently received a one-game suspension for refusing to play against the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 1.

If there’s any solace, at least they’re not the only team dealing with such drama.

During Thursday night’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell refused to enter the game in the third quarter and left the field soon after. This came after starting linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who was playing his first game since tearing his Achilles tendon in Super Bowl LVIII, felt some tightness and exited the game.

“He said he didn’t want to play today,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

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Shanahan was understandably not happy with the situation, but remained reserve in his remarks. In contrast, the players did not mince words whatsoever.

“Look, if you’re on the roster and you suit up, you’re expected to play. I think anyone in this building that got asked to go in, I would say 100 percent of everybody would die to get on that football field,” tight end George Kittle said. “So, I’m not very happy about it. I wish I would’ve heard about it on the field, but I didn’t.

“Now, is that the reason we lost? Absolutely not. But it’s hard to win football games when someone doesn’t want to play football,” he continued.

Cornerback Charvarius Ward even went so far as to suggest that the 49ers will cut Campbell soon, which Shanahan avoided saying outright.

“He’s a professional, he been playing for a long time,” Ward said. “I mean, if he didn’t want to play, he shouldn’t have dressed out, he coulda told them that before the game. So, I feel like that was some sucka s— that he did. Definitely hurt the team. ‘Cause Dee went down, and we needed a linebacker.

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“That’s some sucka stuff to me, in my opinion. Probably gonna get cut soon, so it is what it is with that.”

Comparing the 49ers’ reactions to those of the Ravens when Johnson refused to play, the difference is night and day. When that situation unfolded, head coach John Harbaugh said he wasn’t ready to comment on it, while quarterback Lamar Jackson said “we want him out there.”

Despite the different reactions, the outcome will likely be the same: a suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. That would allow the 49ers to keep game checks and recover some of Campbell’s signing bonus. With how visibly angry players and coaches were after the game, though, it’s not out of the question that they simply cut him.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!



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San Francisco 49ers 6, Los Angeles Rams 12: Grades

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San Francisco 49ers 6, Los Angeles Rams 12: Grades


SANTA CLARA — The San Francisco 49ers just lost 12-6 to the Los Angeles Rams. Here are the 49ers’ grades for this performance.

QUARTERBACK: F

It was one of the biggest games of Brock Purdy’s career and also one of his worst. With the season on the line, against a defense that gave up 42 points last week, Purdy completed 45 percent of his passes, averaged a mere 4.5 yards per throwing attempt and threw an interception in the red zone with the game on the line. He crumbled under the pressure of the moment. And he can’t blame the rain. He simply played poorly. He underthrew a deep pass to George Kittle that should have been a touchdown. He missed a deep throw to Ricky Pearsall that should have been a touchdown. And he airmailed a deep pass intended for Jauan Jennings that got intercepted. In Purdy’s last 18 starts, his quarterback rating is 91 and his win-loss record is 9-9. The league has caught up to him. The 49ers better not give him more than $35 million per season. And they better draft a quarterback.

RUNNING BACKS: C

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Isaac Guerendo wasn’t spectacular, but neither was Rams running back Kyren Williams. Both of them ran hard, though. The difference is the Rams ran the ball 38 times and the 49ers ran it just 19 times. Which means McVay stuck with the run in a tight game while Shanahan abandoned it. More on Shanahan in a minute.

FULLBACK: F

Ran around a lot but never touched the ball.

WIDE RECEIVERS: F

Jauan Jennings caught just 2 of 9 targets — he was a non-factor. Ricky Pearsall caught one pass and was open deep for another one but Purdy missed him. It’s too bad the 49ers didn’t throw to Pearsall more often. Instead, they threw seven passes to Deebo Samuel, and he caught just three of them, gained 16 yards through the air and dropped what should have been a touchdown catch. Which means it was a typical game for him. He can’t be on this team next season.

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TIGHT ENDS: B

George Kittle had 7 targets — the same amount as Samuel. The difference is Kittle gained 61 yards. If only some of Samuel’s targets had gone to Kittle.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: C

They gave up three sacks and didn’t create much room to run.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: D

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They defended the run well enough until the fourth quarter, but they never sacked Matthew Stafford.

LINEBACKERS: A-MINUS

Fred Warner finished with a whopping 15 tackles. Dre Greenlaw had eight in the first half alone — he was phenomenal in his first game back from an Achilles tear. But in the second half, he injured his knee and left the game, and the 49ers turned to De’Vondre Campbell to replace him. Unfortunately for the 49ers, Campbell refused to play, so they had to finish the game with just two linebackers, which is a big reason the 49ers couldn’t stop the run in the fourth quarter. The 49ers almost certainly will cut Campbell. In retrospect, he never should have been on the team. And he’s symbolic of the 49ers’ larger issues this season. They have a bunch of new faces who never came together.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: A-MINUS

They gave up just 160 yards and zero touchdown passes, so you can’t blame them for the loss. Still, they dropped a few potential interceptions that could have swung the game in the 49ers’ favor.

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SPECIAL TEAMS: B-PLUS

Jake Moody made both of his field-goal attempts — he was locked in. But this group also committed two illegal formation penalties.

COACHES: F

Kyle Shanahan seemed more interested in placating Deebo Samuel than winning the game. From the first snap, the entire game plan revolved around Samuel simply because he complained on social media this week about not getting the ball enough. Shanahan rewarded Samuel’s poor behavior, and Samuel responded by having another dreadful performance. The 49ers have lost so many games this year simply because they called too many plays for Samuel. That’s essentially how they lost the Super Bowl as well. He had 11 targets and only 3 catches in that game. Shanahan is a Deebo enabler. And with the game on the line, one of Shanahan’s players quit on him and the team. Meanwhile, no one quit on Sean McVay today. His team was together while the 49ers were not. And while Shanahan called 19 runs and 31 passes, McVay called 34 runs and 31 passes. McVay isn’t the greatest coach of all time, but he’s clearly better than Shanahan, who was flat-out terrible this season. If he’s not willing to cut Deebo Samuel, the 49ers need to get rid of both of them. They’re has-beens.



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