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.

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

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.

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.