Indian American Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher and whistleblower, was found dead in a San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26. The San Francisco medical examiner’s office ruled his death a suicide, and police reported no signs of foul play. Meanwhile, OpenAI might be diverting attention from the incident by focusing on a new marketing campaign.
Balaji reportedly worked with OpenAI for nearly four years, during which time he helped the company gather enormous amounts of data to train their chatbot ChatGPT. While speaking to NYT, Balaji revealed his reservations about the new technology, saying he did not carefully consider whether the company had a legal right to build its products using both copyrighted and open internet data.
He claimed that training ChatGPT on copyrighted material violated the law and said he was uncomfortable with the practice. Balaji reportedly left the company in August 2024. He was found dead a day after being named in a court filing as someone whose files OpenAI would search in connection with a lawsuit against the AI company.
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OpenAI has disputed Balaji’s claims, stating that its data use complies with fair use principles and legal precedents.
“We build our AI models using publicly available data, in a manner protected by fair use and related principles, and supported by longstanding and widely accepted legal precedents. We view this principle as fair to creators, necessary for innovators, and critical for US competitiveness,” OpenAI said in a statement.
In response to Balaji’s death, a spokesperson for OpenAI said, “We are devastated by this incredibly sad news. Our hearts go out to Suchir’s loved ones during this difficult time.”
“Shipmas” takes the stage
Days after Balaji’s death, OpenAI launched its latest marketing campaign on Dec. 5, announcing its plans through a post on X: “12 days. 12 livestreams. A bunch of new things, big and small. 12 Days of OpenAI starts tomorrow.”
Going all out for the holidays this season, OpenAI announced “Shipmas,” its 12 days of new product launches and features leading up to Christmas.
The AI giant kicked off its extensive marketing campaign by launching the full version of its newest reasoning model, o1. In September 2024, OpenAI previewed o1, describing it as a series of AI models “designed to take more time thinking before responding.” Until now, only a limited version of these models was accessible to ChatGPT Plus and Team users.
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So far the campaign, nicknamed “Shipmas” has had seven days, and each day has seen a new product or feature being unveiled by the company.
OpenAI is celebrating this Christmas with a strong marketing campaign, and the news of Balaji’s death does not seem to hinder the company’s plans. The company remains focused on expanding its reach in the AI market, showing no signs of slowing down.