Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

A former OpenAI researcher known for whistleblowing the company has been found dead in his San Francisco apartment.

The Mercury News reports police found the body of 26-year-old Suchir Balaji on November 26 after being called to do a well-being check.

The Medical Examiner says he died by suicide and there are no signs of foul play.

His death comes three months after publicly accusing OpenAI of violating U.S. Copyright law while developing Chat GPT.

His information was expected to play a key part in lawsuits against the company.

OpenAI has said all of its work is legal under fair use laws.

Suicide Prevention: Local resources for those in crisis

Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

"We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

"Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what made him such an exceptional engineer and scientist was his attention to detail and ability to notice subtle bugs or logical errors.

"He had a knack for finding simple solutions and writing elegant code that worked," Schulman wrote. "He'd think through the details of things carefully and rigorously."

Balaji's family said a memorial is being planned for later this month at the India Community Center in Milpitas, California, not far from his hometown of Cupertino.

The video above originally aired December 14.

The Associated Press contributed to this report