Elon Musk says OpenAI whistleblower was murdered after Sam Altman’s appearance on Tucker Carlson’s show

Much has been made about the upsides of artificial intelligence (AI), which is designed to enhance efficiency, eliminate human error and improve decision-making. However, many are concerned, rightly or wrongly, about losing their jobs to AI, which has also been linked to rising electricity bills. Some research, meanwhile, has suggested the technology is making workers less creative and slower.

A dark turn for AI

The debate around AI has taken an even darker turn in recent times, with one American family claiming ChatGPT played a decisive role in convincing their son to commit suicide.

Now, Elon Musk has made a sensational claim about OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji, whose death the San Francisco Police Department ruled a suicide last year. Musk suggested Balaji was actually murdered.

The case of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir Balaji

Balaji, a software engineer, died several weeks after accusing his former employer OpenAI of violating United States copyright law in an interview with The New York Times.

A little over a month after the interview was published, police found Balaji dead in his apartment from a single gunshot wound to the head. Investigators concluded the 26-year-old had taken his own life using a gun registered to him.

Musk challenges official ruling

Musk, however, isn’t convinced. In the early hours of Thursday, the Tesla chief commented on Tucker Carlson’s interview with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, simply posting, “He was murdered,” in reference to Balaji’s death.

It should be noted that Musk and Altman, who co-founded OpenAI together in 2015, no longer see eye to eye. Their personal feud has even led to Musk suing OpenAI, accusing the company of “maximizing profits for Microsoft, rather than for the benefit of humanity.”

Altman responds to Balaji “murder” claims

During the interview, Carlson directly asked Altman about his and OpenAI’s roles in Balaji’s death. Altman responded:

“I was really shaken by this tragedy. I spent a lot of time trying to, you know, read everything I could, as I’m sure you and others did too, about what happened. It looks like a suicide to me.”

Altman attempted to finish the discussion on a lighter note, joking: “I haven’t done too many interviews where I’ve been accused of murder.”

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