Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer who helped train ChatGPT’s AI systems, has died in San Francisco at the age of 26. His parents and officials confirm that he took his own life on November 26. Balaji was well-regarded by colleagues for his contributions to developing products such as WebGPT.
Balaji grew up in the Bay Area and interned at OpenAI’s AI research lab during his studies at UC Berkeley. He worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting, citing concerns over copyright infringement laws related to training AI systems on vast amounts of data from online sources. His comments sparked controversy within the AI research community.
A co-founder at OpenAI described Balaji as an “essential contributor” who had a knack for finding simple solutions and writing elegant code. The company’s board of directors fired and then rehired CEO Sam Altman amidst internal turmoil, which further fueled Balaji’s concerns about the ethics of AI development.
Balaji’s family is planning a memorial service in his honor later this month. His death has sparked an outpouring of tributes from colleagues and industry figures who praised his contributions to AI research.
Source: https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2024/12/more-details-released-about-death-of-ai-whistleblower-age-26.html