The mother of Suchir Balaji the former OpenAI whistleblower has voiced her deep concerns over the mysterious circumstances surrounding his sudden death. Something doesn’t feel right she remarked expressing her belief that the situation surrounding her son passing is far from ordinary. Balaji known for his outspoken criticism of OpenAI died under conditions that have raised significant questions among his family and supporters.
In an emotional interview his mother called for a comprehensive investigation to uncover the true cause of his death emphasizing that the situation appears unusually suspicious. Her words have fueled further speculation about possible foul play prompting concerns about the risks faced by individuals who challenge powerful organizations.
Suchir Balaji former artificial intelligence researcher was found dead in his San Francisco apartment last month.
Suchir Balaji former employee at the company behind ChatGPT accused the organization of violating copyright laws in October. Just a month later he was found dead in his San Francisco apartment. In an interview with the New York times that same month Balaji revealed his growing disillusionment with the company particularly regarding its use of internet-sourced data to train AI models which he believed could be infringing on copyright laws.
In a recent interview with Business Insider, Balaji mother, Poornima Ramarao, discussed her son journey, his increasing concerns about the company and the disillusionment that ultimately led him to leave.
Ramarao shared that her son felt the company had strayed from its original open source nonprofit ideals instead focusing more on financial gain. His concerns grew as the company launched ChatGPT product powered by data he had contributed to gathering for GPT-4.
He felt AI is a harm to humanity Ramarao told Business Insider. Balaji tension with the company shift towards commercialization led him to resign in August.
Balaji was a high achiever from a young age. His mother recalled how he was speaking in complex sentences by the age of two and began learning to code by 11. By 14 he had written a scientific paper on chip design and by 17 he was recruited by an online knowledge sharing platform. Ramarao recalled as a toddler as a little 5 years old he never made mistakes. He was perfect.
However despite his early success Balaji grew disheartened with his experience at the company. His initial enthusiasm faded and he began to share only the cool projects he was working on hiding his growing dissatisfaction. His resignation in August was a significant turning point in his life. After going public with his concerns in the New York times his family grew increasingly anxious. Ramarao remembered their conversation after the interview saying i literally blasted him. You should not go alone. Why did you give your picture? Why did you give your name? Why don’t you stay anonymous? What the need for you to give your picture?
Balaji assured his mother that he was connecting with others who shared his concerns but Ramarao felt he was too naïve to fully understand the complexities of the corporate world.
On November 21 Balaji celebrated his 26th birthday. The following day he spoke with his parents sounding upbeat and happy. What can go wrong within a few hours that his life is lost? Ramarao said expressing the shock she felt when she later learned of his death.
After several days without communication Ramarao became worried. When the police arrived at her son apartment she was told that he had died by suicide. Despite this official ruling Ramarao and her husband remain unconvinced. They arranged for a private autopsy though the results have not been made public. The family is now working with a lawyer to pursue a more comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding Balaji death.
We want to leave the question open. It doesn’t look like a normal situation Ramarao said.
