OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji found dead in US apartment
San Francisco: Suchir Balaji, a former Artificial Intelligence (AI) researcher at OpenAI, was found dead in his Buchanan Street apartment on November 26. The 26-year-old, who reportedly died by suicide, was known for his criticisms of OpenAI’s practices and his allegations of copyright violations by the company.
The San Francisco Police Department stated that their initial investigation found no evidence of foul play. Balaji had worked with OpenAI from November 2020 to August 2024, as per his LinkedIn profile.
Billionaire Elon Musk, who has had a contentious relationship with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, responded cryptically to the news on X (formerly Twitter) with a post that simply read "hmm."
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 14, 2024
In October, Balaji had publicly accused OpenAI of breaching copyright laws and criticised generative AI products like ChatGPT for potentially harming the internet and violating fair use principles. Speaking to The New York Times, he urged others to leave the company if they shared his beliefs.
In a detailed blog post, Balaji had dissected the fair use doctrine, arguing that ChatGPT and similar products do not pass the four-factor test for fair use, especially in their impact on the market value of copyrighted works. He noted, "None of the four factors seem to weigh in favour of ChatGPT being a fair use of its training data."
Balaji was involved in AI research for four years, including work on ChatGPT for a year and a half. He had raised concerns about generative AI substituting original data, leading to legal and ethical questions. His public statements had sparked discussions on the implications of generative AI on copyright and internet use.
I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I'm skeptical "fair use" would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products. I also wrote a blog post (https://t.co/xhiVyCk2Vk) about the nitty-gritty details of fair use and why I…
— Suchir Balaji (@suchirbalaji) October 23, 2024
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1,850 missing mobile phones recovered as Delhi Police focusses on victim-centric policing
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has recovered 1,850 stolen and lost mobile phones worth around Rs 4 crore in past 40 days under "Mission Reconnect", an initiative aimed at returning phones to their rightful owners in outernorth Delhi, an official said on Saturday.
The recovered phones were traced from different parts of the country, including remote areas, through technical surveillance and sustained field operations, police said, adding that the devices were handed over to their owners during a programme at the Sports Ground, New Police Lines, Kingsway Camp.
The initiative focused on a victim-centric approach and aimed at strengthening public trust through proactive policing and coordinated efforts across states, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth) Hareshwar Swami said.
As part of the programme, teams performed 'nukkad nataks' and screened awareness videos on cybercrime, drug abuse prevention, and senior citizen safety, sensitising the public about digital frauds and safety measures, officials said.
The initiative combines technology, investigation and community participation to ensure recovery of lost property and reconnect citizens with their valuables, they added.
