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{{Short description|Indian-American activist and whistleblower (1998–2024)}}
{{Short description|Indian-American activist and whistleblower (1998–2024)}}
{{pp-semi|small=yes}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
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| birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name -->
| birth_date = 1998
| birth_date = 1998
| birth_place = [[Cupertino, California|Cupertino]], [[California]], U.S.<ref>[https://indiapresentinfo.in/2024/12/suchir-balaji-biography-age-wiki.html]</ref>
| birth_place = [[Cupertino, California|Cupertino]], [[California]], U.S.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://indiapresentinfo.in/2024/12/suchir-balaji-biography-age-wiki.html|title=Suchir Balaji Biography: Age,Family,Education,Career,Death|date=December 14, 2024}}</ref>
| death_date = November 26, 2024 (aged 26)
| death_date = November 26, 2024 (aged 26)
| death_place = [[San Francisco]], California, U.S.
| death_place = [[San Francisco]], California, U.S.
| death_cause = [[Suicide]], as confirmed by San Francisco medical examiner's office; private investigation pending.
| death_cause = Undetermined
| education =
| education =
| alma_mater = [[University of California, Berkeley]]
| alma_mater = [[University of California, Berkeley]]
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| website = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20241220225009if_/https://suchir.net/|suchir.net (archived)}}
| website = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20241220225009if_/https://suchir.net/|suchir.net (archived)}}
}}
}}
'''Suchir Balaji''' (1998 – November 26, 2024) was an [[artificial intelligence]] researcher and former employee of [[OpenAI]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who Was Suchir Balaji? Know About Former OpenAI Researcher Found Dead In San Francisco |url=https://www.news18.com/business/who-was-suchir-balaji-know-about-former-openai-researcher-found-dead-in-san-francisco-9155934.html |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=News18 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="bbc-death">{{Cite web |title=Suchir Balaji: OpenAI whistleblower found dead in apartment |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0el3r2nlko |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> He gained attention for his [[whistleblowing]] activities related to artificial intelligence ethics and the inner workings of OpenAI.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=October 23, 2024 |title=Former OpenAI Researcher Says the Company Broke Copyright Law |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/technology/openai-copyright-law.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215222632/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/technology/openai-copyright-law.html |archive-date=December 15, 2024 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Galvin |first=Shane |date=December 14, 2024 |title=OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji found dead by suicide in San Francisco apartment |url=https://nypost.com/2024/12/14/us-news/openai-whistleblower-suchir-balaji-found-dead-by-suicide-in-san-francisco-apartment/ |access-date=December 18, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref>
'''Suchir Balaji''' (1998 – November 26, 2024) was an [[artificial intelligence]] researcher and former employee of [[OpenAI]], where he worked from 2020 until 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who Was Suchir Balaji? Know About Former OpenAI Researcher Found Dead In San Francisco |url=https://www.news18.com/business/who-was-suchir-balaji-know-about-former-openai-researcher-found-dead-in-san-francisco-9155934.html |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=News18 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="bbc-death">{{Cite web |title=Suchir Balaji: OpenAI whistleblower found dead in apartment |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0el3r2nlko |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> He gained attention for his [[whistleblowing]] activities related to artificial intelligence ethics and the inner workings of OpenAI.
Balaji was found dead in his home on November 26, 2024. San Francisco authorities determined the death was a [[suicide]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=October 23, 2024 |title=Former OpenAI Researcher Says the Company Broke Copyright Law |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/technology/openai-copyright-law.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215222632/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/23/technology/openai-copyright-law.html |archive-date=December 15, 2024 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |language=en }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Galvin |first=Shane |date=December 14, 2024 |title=OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji found dead by suicide in San Francisco apartment |url=https://nypost.com/2024/12/14/us-news/openai-whistleblower-suchir-balaji-found-dead-by-suicide-in-san-francisco-apartment/ |access-date=December 18, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref> though Balaji's parents have disputed the verdict.


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==


Balaji was born in an [[Indian Americans|Indian-American]] household and was raised in [[Cupertino, California]].<ref name="bbc-death"/> He graduated from the [[University of California, Berkeley]] in 2021, receiving a [[Bachelor of Arts]] with a major in [[computer science]]. He was the 31st position in the [[Association for Computing Machinery|ACM]] [[International Collegiate Programming Contest]] 2018 World Finals. He was the first place in both the 2017 Pacific Northwest Regional and Berkeley Programming Contests.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Rishabh |date=December 15, 2024 |title=Who was Suchir Balaji, OpenAI whistleblower found dead in San Francisco? |url=https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/who-was-suchir-balaji-openai-whistleblower-found-dead-in-san-francisco-124121500273_1.html |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=business-standard.com}}</ref>
Balaji was born in an [[Indian Americans|Indian-American]] household and was raised in [[Cupertino, California]].<ref name="bbc-death"/> He attended [[Monta Vista High School]] and was a finalist for the 2015-16 season of the [[United States of America Computing Olympiad]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2016 USACO Finalists |url=https://usaco.org/index.php?page=finalists16 |website=USA Computing Olympiad |publisher=USA Computing Olympiad |access-date=2 January 2025}}</ref> He graduated from the [[University of California, Berkeley]] in 2021, receiving a [[Bachelor of Arts]] with a major in [[computer science]]. He was the 31st position in the [[Association for Computing Machinery|ACM]] [[International Collegiate Programming Contest]] 2018 World Finals. He was first place in both the 2017 Pacific Northwest Regional and Berkeley Programming Contests.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Rishabh |date=December 15, 2024 |title=Who was Suchir Balaji, OpenAI whistleblower found dead in San Francisco? |url=https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/who-was-suchir-balaji-openai-whistleblower-found-dead-in-san-francisco-124121500273_1.html |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=business-standard.com}}</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
Suchir Balaji spent nearly four years as an artificial intelligence researcher at [[OpenAI]]. Among the projects he was involved in, he gathered and organized the internet data that the company used to build its online chatbot, [[ChatGPT]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="guard-21dec2024">{{cite news |title=OpenAI whistleblower who died was being considered as witness against company |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/dec/21/openai-whistleblower-dead-aged-26 |access-date=22 December 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=21 December 2024}}</ref> He left the company in August 2024 after becoming disillusioned with its business practices, which he publicly denounced, alleging the company violated the [[US copyright law|United States copyright law]] in order to develop ChatGPT. Furthermore, he charged that ChatGPT would render many people and firms commercially unviable by utilizing their content to make improvements to OpenAI's artificial intelligence systems. In an October 2024 story published by the [[New York Times]], Balaji expressed these concerns regarding OpenAI, and was quoted saying "If you believe what I believe, you have to just leave the company."<ref name="bbc-death"/><ref name="sky-death">{{Cite web |title=OpenAI whistleblower found dead in apartment |url=https://news.sky.com/story/openai-whistleblower-found-dead-in-apartment-13273672 |access-date=December 20, 2024 |website=Sky News |language=en |archive-date=December 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218105318/https://news.sky.com/story/openai-whistleblower-found-dead-in-apartment-13273672 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Suchir Balaji spent four years as an artificial intelligence researcher at [[OpenAI]]. Among the projects he was involved in, he gathered and organized the internet data that the company used to build its online chatbot, [[ChatGPT]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="guard-21dec2024">{{cite news |title=OpenAI whistleblower who died was being considered as witness against company |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/dec/21/openai-whistleblower-dead-aged-26 |access-date=22 December 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=21 December 2024}}</ref> He left the company in August 2024 after becoming disillusioned with its business practices, which he publicly denounced, alleging the company violated the [[US copyright law|United States copyright law]] in order to develop ChatGPT. Furthermore, he charged that ChatGPT would render many people and firms commercially unviable by utilizing their content to make improvements to OpenAI's artificial intelligence systems. In an October 2024 story published by the [[New York Times]], Balaji expressed these concerns regarding OpenAI, and was quoted saying "If you believe what I believe, you have to just leave the company."<ref name="bbc-death"/><ref name="sky-death">{{Cite web |title=OpenAI whistleblower found dead in apartment |url=https://news.sky.com/story/openai-whistleblower-found-dead-in-apartment-13273672 |access-date=December 20, 2024 |website=Sky News |language=en |archive-date=December 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218105318/https://news.sky.com/story/openai-whistleblower-found-dead-in-apartment-13273672 |url-status=live }}</ref>


OpenAI was involved in legal matters relating to data-sharing, as North American news publishers and professional writers alike filed lawsuits against the company, alleging illegal use of their articles for software training. The company argued that the software was "grounded in fair use and related international copyright principles that are fair for creators and support innovation", and defended its business practices by contending that its software models are "trained on publicly available data."<ref name="bbc-death"/>
OpenAI was involved in legal matters relating to data-sharing, as North American news publishers and professional writers alike filed lawsuits against the company, alleging illegal use of their articles for software training. The company argued that the software was "grounded in fair use and related international copyright principles that are fair for creators and support innovation", and defended its business practices by contending that its software models are "trained on publicly available data."<ref name="bbc-death"/>


After leaving OpenAI, Balaji said he had been working on "personal projects"<ref name="bbc-death"/>, including plans to create a nonprofit centered on machine learning and neurosciences.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/12/26/openai-whistleblower-death-parents-want-to-know-what-happened-to-suchir-balaji-after-apparent-suicide/ | title=OpenAI whistleblower death: Parents want to know what happened to Suchir Balaji after apparent suicide }}</ref>
After leaving OpenAI, Balaji said he had been working on "personal projects",<ref name="bbc-death"/> including plans to create a nonprofit centered on machine learning and neurosciences.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/12/26/openai-whistleblower-death-parents-want-to-know-what-happened-to-suchir-balaji-after-apparent-suicide/ | title=OpenAI whistleblower death: Parents want to know what happened to Suchir Balaji after apparent suicide }}</ref>


On October 23rd 2024, about a month prior to his death, Balaji posted an essay on his personal website titled "''When does generative AI qualify for fair use?''". In the essay, he mathematically analyzes outputs of large language models such as ChatGPT and argues that they do not satisfy the [[Fair use#U.S._fair_use_factors|four factors outlined in the United States' Fair Use law]]. He concluded, "None of the four factors seem to weigh in favor of ChatGPT being a fair use of its training data. That being said, none of the arguments here are fundamentally specific to ChatGPT either, and similar arguments could be made for many generative AI products in a wide variety of domains".<ref>cite web | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241220210401/https://suchir.net/fair_use.html| title=Suchir Balaji's personal website, archived</ref>
On October 23rd 2024, about a month prior to his death, Balaji posted an essay on his personal website titled "''When does generative AI qualify for fair use?''". In the essay, he mathematically analyzes outputs of large language models such as ChatGPT and argues that they do not satisfy the [[Fair use#U.S._fair_use_factors|four factors outlined in the United States' Fair Use law]]. He concluded, "None of the four factors seem to weigh in favor of ChatGPT being a fair use of its training data. That being said, none of the arguments here are fundamentally specific to ChatGPT either, and similar arguments could be made for many generative AI products in a wide variety of domains".<ref>{{cite web | first= Suchir | last= Balaji | title= When does generative AI qualify for fair use? | website= suchir.net |type= personal website |url= https://suchir.net/fair_use.html | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20241220210401/https://suchir.net/fair_use.html | archivedate= 2024-12-20| date= October 23, 2024}}</ref>


== Death ==
== Death ==
On November 26, 2024, police said they found Balaji dead in his apartment in [[San Francisco]], when they arrived there after being requested to conduct a [[Wellness check|well-being check]]. He was 26 years old. A [[spokesperson]] for his former employer, [[OpenAI]], said he was "devastated" by the news of Balaji's passing.<ref name="bbc-death"/><ref name="sky-death"/>
On November 26, 2024, police said they found Balaji dead in his apartment in [[San Francisco]], when they arrived there after being requested to conduct a [[Wellness check|well-being check]]. He was 26 years old. A [[spokesperson]] for his former employer, [[OpenAI]], said he was "devastated" by the news of Balaji's passing.<ref name="bbc-death"/><ref name="sky-death"/>


The police ruled that there was "no evidence of foul play" found during the investigation, and the San Francisco medical examiner's office confirmed the cause of death as suicide.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 14, 2024 |title=What we know about the Suchir Balaji case so far |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/what-we-know-about-the-suchir-balaji-case-so-far/articleshow/116322259.cms |access-date=December 16, 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 14, 2024 |title=Key OpenAI whistleblower found dead by suicide in SF apartment |url=https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/13/key-openai-whistleblower-dead-by-suicide/ |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=The San Francisco Standard |language=en |archive-date=December 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216224756/https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/13/key-openai-whistleblower-dead-by-suicide/ |url-status=live }}</ref> His death has prompted public and media interest, particularly given his whistleblowing claims.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 15, 2024 |title=Suchir Balaji voiced serious concerns about OpenAI. He was found dead last month |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/tech-startup/news/suchir-balaji-voiced-serious-concerns-about-openai-he-was-found-dead-last-month-3776816 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=The Daily Star |language=en |archive-date=December 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215191110/https://www.thedailystar.net/tech-startup/news/suchir-balaji-voiced-serious-concerns-about-openai-he-was-found-dead-last-month-3776816 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What OpenAI Whistleblower Suchir Balaji Revealed About The Dark Side Of AI Before Death |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/what-openai-whistleblower-suchir-balaji-revealed-about-the-dark-side-of-ai-7254038 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=www.ndtv.com |language=en |archive-date=December 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216014730/https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/what-openai-whistleblower-suchir-balaji-revealed-about-the-dark-side-of-ai-7254038 |url-status=live }}</ref> The circumstances surrounding Balaji's death remain unclear<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fuwad |first=Ahamad |date=2024-12-28 |title=Family of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji demand FBI investigate death |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/28/openai-whistleblower-suchir-balaji |access-date=2025-01-01 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>, and investigations are ongoing; his parents doubted the ruling of suicide alleging that he was murdered<ref>{{Cite news |last=ANI |date=2025-01-01 |title=Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges ‘murder’, demands FBI investigation into OpenAI whistleblower’s death |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/openai-whistleblower-suchir-balajis-mother-alleges-murder-demands-fbi-investigation-into-his-death/article69048961.ece |access-date=2025-01-01 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>, and hired an independent investigator.<ref name="abc-27dec2024">{{cite news |title=Parents of OpenAI whistleblower hire private investigator after his SF death: report |url=https://abc7news.com/post/parents-openai-whistleblower-suchir-balaji-hire-private-investigator-after-he-was-found-dead-san-francisco/15715408/ |access-date=December 27, 2024 |work=[[KGO-TV|ABC 7 News]] |date=December 27, 2024}}</ref><ref name="guard-28dec2024">{{cite news |last1=Fuwad |first1=Ahamad |title=Family of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji demand FBI investigate death |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/28/openai-whistleblower-suchir-balaji |access-date=December 29, 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=December 29, 2024}}</ref>
The police ruled that there was "no evidence of foul play" found during the initial investigation,<ref name="auto">{{Cite news |last=Fuwad |first=Ahamad |date=2024-12-28 |title=Family of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji demand FBI investigate death |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/28/openai-whistleblower-suchir-balaji |access-date=2025-01-01 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and the San Francisco medical examiner's office confirmed the cause of death as suicide.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 14, 2024 |title=What we know about the Suchir Balaji case so far |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/what-we-know-about-the-suchir-balaji-case-so-far/articleshow/116322259.cms |access-date=December 16, 2024 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 14, 2024 |title=Key OpenAI whistleblower found dead by suicide in SF apartment |url=https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/13/key-openai-whistleblower-dead-by-suicide/ |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=The San Francisco Standard |language=en |archive-date=December 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216224756/https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/13/key-openai-whistleblower-dead-by-suicide/ |url-status=live }}</ref> His death has prompted public and media interest, particularly given his whistleblowing claims.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 15, 2024 |title=Suchir Balaji voiced serious concerns about OpenAI. He was found dead last month |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/tech-startup/news/suchir-balaji-voiced-serious-concerns-about-openai-he-was-found-dead-last-month-3776816 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=The Daily Star |language=en |archive-date=December 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215191110/https://www.thedailystar.net/tech-startup/news/suchir-balaji-voiced-serious-concerns-about-openai-he-was-found-dead-last-month-3776816 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=What OpenAI Whistleblower Suchir Balaji Revealed About The Dark Side Of AI Before Death |url=https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/what-openai-whistleblower-suchir-balaji-revealed-about-the-dark-side-of-ai-7254038 |access-date=December 16, 2024 |website=www.ndtv.com |language=en |archive-date=December 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216014730/https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/what-openai-whistleblower-suchir-balaji-revealed-about-the-dark-side-of-ai-7254038 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Balaji's parents say that the circumstances surrounding Balaji's death are unclear,<ref name="auto"/> and that they have hired an [[Private investigator|independent investigator]] to determine the cause of death. They also say they have had a private [[autopsy]] conducted, and that its results contradict the San Francisco chief medical examiner's conclusion of suicide.<ref name="abc-27dec2024">{{cite news |title=Parents of OpenAI whistleblower hire private investigator after his SF death: report |url=https://abc7news.com/post/parents-openai-whistleblower-suchir-balaji-hire-private-investigator-after-he-was-found-dead-san-francisco/15715408/ |access-date=December 27, 2024 |work=[[KGO-TV|ABC 7 News]] |date=December 27, 2024}}</ref><ref name="auto"/> The parents believe that Balaji was [[Murder|murdered]], and have called for an [[FBI]] investigation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=ANI |date=2025-01-01 |title=Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges ‘murder’, demands FBI investigation into OpenAI whistleblower’s death |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/openai-whistleblower-suchir-balajis-mother-alleges-murder-demands-fbi-investigation-into-his-death/article69048961.ece |access-date=2025-01-01 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> The official police investigation was ongoing as of December 28, 2024.<ref name="auto"/>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 59: Line 64:
[[Category:1998 births]]
[[Category:1998 births]]
[[Category:2024 suicides]]
[[Category:2024 suicides]]
[[Category:American people of Indian descent]]

Revision as of 17:12, 4 January 2025

Suchir Balaji
Born1998
Cupertino, California, U.S.[1]
DiedNovember 26, 2024 (aged 26)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Cause of deathSuicide, as confirmed by San Francisco medical examiner's office; private investigation pending.
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Known forOpenAI whistleblower
Websitesuchir.net (archived)

Suchir Balaji (1998 – November 26, 2024) was an artificial intelligence researcher and former employee of OpenAI, where he worked from 2020 until 2024.[2][3] He gained attention for his whistleblowing activities related to artificial intelligence ethics and the inner workings of OpenAI.

Balaji was found dead in his home on November 26, 2024. San Francisco authorities determined the death was a suicide,[4][5] though Balaji's parents have disputed the verdict.

Early life and education

Balaji was born in an Indian-American household and was raised in Cupertino, California.[3] He attended Monta Vista High School and was a finalist for the 2015-16 season of the United States of America Computing Olympiad.[6] He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 2021, receiving a Bachelor of Arts with a major in computer science. He was the 31st position in the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest 2018 World Finals. He was first place in both the 2017 Pacific Northwest Regional and Berkeley Programming Contests.[7]

Career

Suchir Balaji spent four years as an artificial intelligence researcher at OpenAI. Among the projects he was involved in, he gathered and organized the internet data that the company used to build its online chatbot, ChatGPT.[4][8] He left the company in August 2024 after becoming disillusioned with its business practices, which he publicly denounced, alleging the company violated the United States copyright law in order to develop ChatGPT. Furthermore, he charged that ChatGPT would render many people and firms commercially unviable by utilizing their content to make improvements to OpenAI's artificial intelligence systems. In an October 2024 story published by the New York Times, Balaji expressed these concerns regarding OpenAI, and was quoted saying "If you believe what I believe, you have to just leave the company."[3][9]

OpenAI was involved in legal matters relating to data-sharing, as North American news publishers and professional writers alike filed lawsuits against the company, alleging illegal use of their articles for software training. The company argued that the software was "grounded in fair use and related international copyright principles that are fair for creators and support innovation", and defended its business practices by contending that its software models are "trained on publicly available data."[3]

After leaving OpenAI, Balaji said he had been working on "personal projects",[3] including plans to create a nonprofit centered on machine learning and neurosciences.[10]

On October 23rd 2024, about a month prior to his death, Balaji posted an essay on his personal website titled "When does generative AI qualify for fair use?". In the essay, he mathematically analyzes outputs of large language models such as ChatGPT and argues that they do not satisfy the four factors outlined in the United States' Fair Use law. He concluded, "None of the four factors seem to weigh in favor of ChatGPT being a fair use of its training data. That being said, none of the arguments here are fundamentally specific to ChatGPT either, and similar arguments could be made for many generative AI products in a wide variety of domains".[11]

Death

On November 26, 2024, police said they found Balaji dead in his apartment in San Francisco, when they arrived there after being requested to conduct a well-being check. He was 26 years old. A spokesperson for his former employer, OpenAI, said he was "devastated" by the news of Balaji's passing.[3][9]

The police ruled that there was "no evidence of foul play" found during the initial investigation,[12] and the San Francisco medical examiner's office confirmed the cause of death as suicide.[13][14] His death has prompted public and media interest, particularly given his whistleblowing claims.[15][16]

Balaji's parents say that the circumstances surrounding Balaji's death are unclear,[12] and that they have hired an independent investigator to determine the cause of death. They also say they have had a private autopsy conducted, and that its results contradict the San Francisco chief medical examiner's conclusion of suicide.[17][12] The parents believe that Balaji was murdered, and have called for an FBI investigation.[18] The official police investigation was ongoing as of December 28, 2024.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Suchir Balaji Biography: Age,Family,Education,Career,Death". December 14, 2024.
  2. ^ "Who Was Suchir Balaji? Know About Former OpenAI Researcher Found Dead In San Francisco". News18. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Suchir Balaji: OpenAI whistleblower found dead in apartment". BBC. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Former OpenAI Researcher Says the Company Broke Copyright Law". October 23, 2024. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Galvin, Shane (December 14, 2024). "OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji found dead by suicide in San Francisco apartment". Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "2016 USACO Finalists". USA Computing Olympiad. USA Computing Olympiad. Retrieved January 2, 2025.
  7. ^ Sharma, Rishabh (December 15, 2024). "Who was Suchir Balaji, OpenAI whistleblower found dead in San Francisco?". business-standard.com. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  8. ^ "OpenAI whistleblower who died was being considered as witness against company". The Guardian. Associated Press. December 21, 2024. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "OpenAI whistleblower found dead in apartment". Sky News. Archived from the original on December 18, 2024. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "OpenAI whistleblower death: Parents want to know what happened to Suchir Balaji after apparent suicide".
  11. ^ Balaji, Suchir (October 23, 2024). "When does generative AI qualify for fair use?". suchir.net (personal website). Archived from the original on December 20, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d Fuwad, Ahamad (December 28, 2024). "Family of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji demand FBI investigate death". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
  13. ^ "What we know about the Suchir Balaji case so far". The Times of India. December 14, 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Key OpenAI whistleblower found dead by suicide in SF apartment". The San Francisco Standard. December 14, 2024. Archived from the original on December 16, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "Suchir Balaji voiced serious concerns about OpenAI. He was found dead last month". The Daily Star. December 15, 2024. Archived from the original on December 15, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  16. ^ "What OpenAI Whistleblower Suchir Balaji Revealed About The Dark Side Of AI Before Death". www.ndtv.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2024. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  17. ^ "Parents of OpenAI whistleblower hire private investigator after his SF death: report". ABC 7 News. December 27, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
  18. ^ ANI (January 1, 2025). "Suchir Balaji's mother alleges 'murder', demands FBI investigation into OpenAI whistleblower's death". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved January 1, 2025.
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