Suchir Balaji had criticised the makers of ChatGPT before he was found dead in his San Francisco apartment
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.
The grief-stricken mom of the OpenAI whistleblower who was found dead last year has shared new CCTV images said to be the moments before he died.
Suchir Balaji, a promising 26-year-old tech professional, was found tragically deceased in his San Francisco apartment on November 26. Police had been called to perform a welfare check on the talented researcher, who had dedicated four years to OpenAI. Balaji had earned a degree in computer science from the prestigious University of California, Berkeley, and was known for his contributions to the field of artificial intelligence.
In a shocking turn of events, Suchir Balaji, the former OpenAI researcher, became a whistleblower after leaving the AI tech giant. He boldly exposed what he claimed were questionable practices used by OpenAI in training its artificial intelligence system. Balaji alleged that the company had violated U.S. copyright laws in the development of its widely used ChatGPT chatbot, which engages in text-based conversations with users. He shared these serious accusations in a tell-all article for The New York Times.
Tragically, just one month after the article’s publication, Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment. The medical examiner’s office officially ruled his death a suicide, dismissing any foul play.
Yet, Balaji’s family refuses to accept this conclusion. His mother, Poornima Ramarao, has vehemently claimed that a darker conspiracy may have been at work. In an effort to raise more questions about the investigation, she recently posted CCTV footage of her son, further fueling suspicions surrounding his untimely death.
https://twitter.com/RaoPoornima/status/1900427445175529528
The CCTV footage paints a curious picture: at 7:30 PM, Balaji was seen purchasing dinner and entering the elevator. Despite this clear evidence, his mother, Poornima Ramarao, claims that the medical examiner’s office ignored the footage and instead insisted that her son’s death was a result of depression, concluding it as suicide.
Ramarao raised troubling questions about the pending toxicology results, suggesting her son may have been sedated before his death. She also pointed to potential issues with the building’s CCTV system, hinting at a possible cover-up.
In an impassioned statement, she claimed, “Another cover-up by the OCME. They told our attorney that GHB, a powerful sedative, could be naturally present in the body three days after death. But we discovered that levels of endogenous GHB should be under 5000ng/L.”
She further revealed troubling discrepancies in the autopsy report, which noted that GHB would only be included in the toxicology tests if the level exceeded 50,000ng/L. “When combined with alcohol, GHB can act as a sedative. With this combination, he would have lost muscle control or even become unconscious,” she asserted, intensifying the mystery surrounding her son’s death.
“We are waiting for the toxicologist to provide a written report,” Poornima Ramarao stated, her concerns growing deeper by the day.
She has also claimed that the elevator camera inside the building was “disabled” at the exact time Balaji was using it. Further fueling her suspicions, she posted another tweet alleging that both the CCTV in the garage of Balaji’s apartment and one of the elevator cameras had mysteriously stopped working. “This murder conspiracy was executed over long-term planning and watching Suchir,” she wrote, expressing her belief that there was a deliberate effort to obscure the truth.
A third image posted by Ramarao showed her son entering the apartment building carrying a large bag, which she said was from a packing trip he had taken the same day he allegedly “was killed.” In her tweet, she questioned, “Does he look stressed?”
Balaji’s parents have since hired an expert to conduct an independent autopsy, as they firmly reject the conclusion that their son died by suicide.
“I know my son. He was happy, he was not depressed,” Ramarao told ABC 7 News. “He went into his apartment and never came out. How can anyone believe there was no suicide note left? And no one else was on the scene, yet they jumped to conclusions. We’ve seen the bloodstains in the bathroom—signs of a struggle.”
Ramarao had previously shared with Business Insider that her son confided in her about his concerns, stating, “AI is a harm to humanity.”
In the midst of these revelations, she continues to demand justice and a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Balaji’s untimely death.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741 or call 1-800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746 at the SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline.
