Sam Altman, the boss of OpenAI, the Californian start-up which launched ChatGPT, published a message on Tuesday January 8 about his sister, Annie Altman, who has just filed a complaint against him, accusing him of sexual assault during his childhood. “Annie has made completely false and hurtful statements about our family, and especially Sam”can we read in this letter co-signed by Sam Altman, his mother and his two brothers and published on the social network X.
“Our family loves Annie and is very concerned for her well-being. Caring for a family member facing mental health issues is incredibly difficult”they declare at the beginning of the message. A Silicon Valley personality for years, Sam Altman gained global fame in 2023 with the success of ChatGPT, which popularized the technological revolution of generative artificial intelligence (AI). A prolific entrepreneur, soon to be in his forties and already a billionaire, he has given himself the mission of developing so-called AI “general”with cognitive abilities similar to those of humans and “beneficial for humanity”.
“Monthly financial assistance”
The Altman family claims to have tried to help their daughter and sister by covering various costs and guaranteeing her a “monthly financial assistance, probably for the rest of his life”. “Despite this, Annie continues to ask us for more money”they say, specifying that they decided to respond publicly, after years of tension, because of the complaint filed Monday by Annie Altman.
“The worst accusation she made was that she was sexually abused by Sam when she was a child (…). His claims have evolved considerably over time. As part of this complaint, they now include allegations of incidents that occurred when Sam was over the age of 18.they declare, adding that “All these allegations are completely false.”
According to the complaint of Annie Altman, nine years Sam Altman's junior, the attacks took place from 1997, when she was 3 years old, and until 2006. In a report from New York Magazine in 2023, journalist Elizabeth Weil, who had met Annie Altman in Hawaii, describes her as an artist suffering from depression and a growing gap with her family, and supporting herself in particular through online prostitution.
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