The head of ChatGPT creator OpenAI has responded to accusations from his sister that he sexually abused her when she was a child.
Ann Altman, whose brother Sam Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015, filed a lawsuit on 6 January in a US District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri accusing the tech billionaire of regular sexual abuse between 1997 and 2006.
The lawsuit alleges that the abuse began when Ann Altman was three and Mr Altman was 12, and also includes an allegation of rape – with the filing alleging the last instance of abuse took place when Mr Altman was an adult but she was still a child.
Mr Altman is one of the tech sector’s most prominent figures, having overseen the rise of OpenAI up to and since its launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, which sparked the ongoing boom around the generative AI technology that powers ChatGPT.
In a joint statement posted to his account on X with his mother and two brothers, the OpenAI boss denied the allegations.
“All of these claims are utterly untrue,” the statement said.
“Our family loves Annie and is very concerned about her wellbeing. Caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult.”
It added: “Annie has made deeply hurtful and entirely untrue claims about our family, and especially Sam… This situation causes immense pain to our entire family.”
The family statement acknowledged previous allegations by Ms Altman, which she has made on social media in recent years.
“I experienced sexual, physical, emotional, verbal, financial, and technological abuse from my biological siblings, mostly Sam Altman and some from Jack Altman,” she wrote in a post to Twitter (now X) in November 2021.
“I feel strongly that others have also been abused by these perpetrators. I’m seeking people to join me in pursuing legal justice, safety for others in the future, and group healing.”
Ms Altman’s lawyers claim she has experienced mental health issues as a result of the alleged abuse.
The lawsuit requests a jury trial and damages in excess of $75,000 (£60,000).
Mr Altman faces other lawsuits, including one from fellow OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk, who alleges that the AI boss is in breach of contract for abandoning the company’s original non-profit mission.
Additional reporting from agencies
