San Francisco, Jan 1: The parents of Indian-American techie Suchir Balaji, who was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on December 14, 2024, have rejected the official suicide ruling, alleging that their son was murdered. Suchir, a former OpenAI employee, had made headlines for his whistleblowing revelations about the ethical concerns surrounding generative AI.
In an interview with NDTV, his parents claim that the second autopsy report indicates "signs of struggle," including a head injury and trauma, which contradict the suicide verdict by the medical examiner's office. Suchir's mother, Poornima Ramarao, expressed disbelief at the suicide ruling, citing the absence of a suicide note and the findings of the second autopsy.
"We have facts with the second autopsy -- head trauma and signs of struggle. This is not a suicide; it's a murder," she stated.
His father, Balaji Ramamurthi, recounted their last conversation on December 22, when Suchir returned from a trip to Los Angeles in good spirits.
"He seemed happy," he said.
When asked if Suchir picked up another job, his mother said, "No, he didn't. They (OpenAI) probably threatened him. They didn't allow him to work somewhere else. He also consulted a copyright attorney and figured out that he was not doing anything wrong and they were just suppressing him. That made him give the New York Times interview and resulted in his death."
"He was working in the core group of the ChatGPT; he was kind of an architect of the whole thing. He knows a lot of information about ChatGPT. There were some restrictions on him to not work in other AI companies," the father added.
His mother mentioned that Suchir was working on personal research which he wanted to get published, in which he explains that "modulated answer is not exactly as the information pegged to ChatGPT, giving an example of a black and white cat coming out as a coloured cat."
"Additionally, the work of artists and journalists were all stolen, which is unethical. This is what we talked about the last time I met him," she mentioned.
The parents are demanding an FBI investigation to uncover the truth. "There was a struggle; he did not take his life. Now, who and why need to be explored," Poornima said, urging the Indian government to support their cause.
They also welcomed Elon Musk's support but said they had not reached out to him.
Describing Suchir as a caring and brilliant individual, his parents said his death is a "loss to humanity and the tech industry."
Suchir had worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before resigning over ethical concerns.
In an October post on X, he criticised the misuse of copyrighted materials in generative AI, stating, "Fair use seems like a pretty implausible defence for a lot of generative AI products."
An OpenAI spokesperson expressed condolences, "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news today. Our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time." Suchir, a University of California, Berkeley graduate, was a prominent figure in the tech industry, with his whistleblowing revelations sparking global discussions on AI ethics.
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