Balaji, a 26-year-old AI researcher and former OpenAI employee, was found dead in his San Francisco apartment last year. While local authorities ruled the cause of death as suicide by gunshot, his parents have called for an FBI investigation, alleging a potential conspiracy linked to his whistleblowing activities.
In her statement, Rao shared excerpts from her son’s journal. Balaji reportedly warned, “I have to somehow stop it,” referring to the dangers posed by AI developments driven by profit motives. “Suchir foresaw the harm to humanity,” Rao wrote. “He went against OpenAI and lost his life.”
After leaving OpenAI, Balaji spoke out about what he viewed as the unethical use of copyrighted material to train AI models. He accused the company of exploiting creators’ works under the guise of fair use, expressing concern over the lack of transparency and consent.
OpenAI was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab by a group including Elon Musk and Sam Altman. In 2019, it adopted a capped-profit structure to attract investment for costly AI development. While the nonprofit arm retains control over the for-profit entity, the shift has drawn criticism from within and outside the tech world.
Elon Musk, now one of OpenAI’s most vocal critics, filed a lawsuit in 2024 claiming the company had deviated from its founding principles. Rao echoed similar concerns, warning that AI controlled by private interests may compromise public welfare.