‘His bravery should not be forgotten’: Suchir Balaji’s father starts petition to rename AI Act after dead son

Suchir Balaji’s parents start petition to rename AI Act after their son.

Suchir Balaji’s father has started a petition to rename SB 53 which is California’s Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, to ‘Suchir Balaji Whistleblower Act’. Balaji Ramamurthy said Suchir stood up against a giant corporation and renaming the Act after Suchir will serve as a constant reminder of the sacrifice he made. “My son, Suchir Balaji, was just 26 when he tragically lost his life after courageously speaking out against unethical practices at OpenAI. His unwavering dedication to truth and integrity cost him everything. In 2024, Suchir stood up against a giant corporation, risking his promising career and life to expose the troubling practices he could not condone,” the petition read.”Suchir’s bravery should not be forgotten; instead, it must be commemorated so that his legacy can inspire future generations to act with courage and tenacity. To honor his remarkable resolve and ensure that whistleblowers like him are protected and remembered, we propose renaming SB 53 to the “Suchir Balaji Whistleblower Act,” it said. On November 26, 2024, the former OpenAI researcher was found dead in his San Francisco apartment. The official autopsy and medical examiner’s report concluded that his death was a suicide by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.His parents rejected the autopsy report and they strongly believe that his death was connected to his exposé on OpenAI. In October 2024, Balaji accused OpenAI of violating US opyright law by training its models using copyrighted material without proper authorization, and claimed that outputs of models like ChatGPT may violate the legal “fair use” principles. He was also willing to testify. His parents contended that the autopsy report was misleading, as it did not mention a second gunshot and signs of a struggle. Balaji’s parents have sued the owners and the management company of his apartment building, accusing them of being a part of the cover-up. They sought damages for “emotional distress and other causes of action in an amount of at least $1,000,000.”The lawsuit claimed that the apartment management company fired the manager immediately after he disclosed CCTV footage to Balaji’s parents. The lawsuit also alleged that the apartment complex failed to safeguard packages addressed to Balaji that disappeared after his death and may have contained evidence related to his whistleblower claims. A neighbor reportedly saw packages addressed to him in the package room a month after his death that subsequently vanished.