A former researcher at OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has been found dead at his San Francisco home after blowing the whistle on alleged copyright violations.
According to a report by Business Insider on Saturday, Suchir Balaji, who worked as an AI researcher at OpenAI for nearly four years, was discovered deceased on November 26.
Balaji played a key role in developing ChatGPT and led the WebGPT project. He also contributed to the early development of SearchGPT, a large language model for web search functionality.
Throughout his time at OpenAI, Balaji was outspoken in his criticism of the company’s method of using internet data to train its AI models. He expressed concerns that this practice could harm the broader digital ecosystem.
In August, Balaji left OpenAI, citing ethical concerns. In October, he interviewed The New York Times, alleging that OpenAI had violated copyright laws by using internet data without proper authorization.
While at OpenAI, Balaji was responsible for gathering and organizing vast amounts of online data to develop the GPT-4 model. He worried that OpenAI’s approach could disrupt how content is created, shared, and monetized across the internet.
In an interview with The New York Times, Balaji stated that after nearly four years at OpenAI, he concluded that the technology does more harm than good to society, prompting his decision to leave. He also noted that OpenAI developed the online chatbot ChatGPT without adequately considering copyright issues, operating under the assumption that data circulating on the internet could be freely used.
OpenAI Responds: “We Build AI Models Using Publicly Available Data”
In response to Balaji’s allegations, OpenAI refuted them, stating, “We build our AI models using publicly available data, in a manner protected by fair use and related principles and supported by long-standing and widely accepted legal precedents.”
Following news of Balaji’s death, conspiracy theories began circulating online, with some suggesting that OpenAI may have been involved in silencing the whistleblower. However, authorities have found no evidence to support such claims.
A spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department confirmed that there were no signs of foul play. The San Francisco Chief Medical Examiner’s office also ruled that Balaji’s death was a suicide.
After Balaji’s passing, OpenAI expressed its condolences through a spokesperson. In a statement provided to Business Insider, the OpenAI spokesperson said, “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.”
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