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December 14, 2024 @ 11:25 AM
Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former researcher at OpenAI, was discovered deceased on November 26 in his San Francisco residence during a wellness check conducted by law enforcement. His passing remained unreported until recently, according to the Mercury News and other media outlets. The San Francisco medical examiner determined that Balaji’s death was self-inflicted, with no indications of foul play.
Balaji had publicly denounced OpenAI, alleging violations of U.S. copyright law associated with the ChatGPT application. His claims drew considerable attention, culminating in a profile published by the New York Times in October, where he expressed concerns about the fair use practices employed by ChatGPT.
On November 18, the Times submitted a letter to a federal court, citing Balaji as possessing “unique and relevant documents” to support their ongoing legal fight against OpenAI. The lawsuit contends that OpenAI, in conjunction with Microsoft, has unlawfully utilized the works of journalists and editors.
Balaji had been affiliated with OpenAI since 2020, serving as a researcher for four years. The organization expressed their sorrow over his passing, stating, “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,” in a statement to CNBC.
In an October post on X, Balaji elaborated on his doubts regarding fair use defenses in the context of generative AI. He revealed that his insights were informed by his participation in the aforementioned NYT article, which discussed copyrights and their implications for AI technologies.
I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I’m skeptical “fair use” would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products. I also wrote a blog post (https://t.co/xhiVyCk2Vk) about the nitty-gritty details of fair use and why I…
— Suchir Balaji (@suchirbalaji) October 23, 2024
Source
www.thewrap.com