Balaji had quit his job at OpenAI over the summer and was working to establish a nonprofit focused on machine learning. He reportedly reassured his parents about his decision to go public with his concerns and was described as being untroubled by it. Days before his death, he celebrated his 26th birthday with friends and was reportedly in good spirits. His parents have hired an attorney and commissioned a second, independent autopsy to further investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
Key takeaways:
- Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI researcher and whistleblower, was found dead in his apartment, with the death ruled as a suicide by the medical examiner.
- Balaji had recently spoken out about OpenAI's use of copyrighted material for training its AI model, expressing concerns about its sustainability for the internet ecosystem.
- Balaji's parents are demanding a thorough investigation into his death, as they do not believe he would have taken his own life and saw no signs of mental distress.
- Days before his death, Balaji was named in a legal filing by the New York Times as having significant documents to support their case against OpenAI.