A former OpenAI researcher and whistleblower was found dead by suicide in his San Francisco apartment last month, authorities said.

Suchir Balaji, 26, was found dead on Nov. 26 by San Francisco police officers who responded to the apartment after being called for a wellness exam, The Mercury News reports.

The medical examiner’s office has determined that there is no evidence of foul play and that his death is believed to be self-inflicted, the source said.

Before his death, Balaji publicly accused OpenAI of violating U.S. copyright law with its generative AI app ChatGPT.

The California native joined the artificial intelligence company as a researcher in 2022, but quickly became unsettled by how the image and text generation programs worked.

Back in October, Balaji was the subject of a New York Times profile detailing what he said were regular fair use violations committed by ChatGPT.

On November 18, The Times filed a letter in federal court naming Balaji as a person with “unique and relevant documents” that they would use in their current litigation against OpenAI, The Mirror reports.

This lawsuit alleges that Microsoft and OpenAI are merely denigrating the work of their reporters and editors with blatant disregard for journalistic ethics and legality.

“We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news today, and our condolences are with Suchir’s loved ones at this difficult time,” OpenAI said in a statement to CNBC.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can call the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or visit SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.