The head of artificial intelligence company OpenAI, Sam Altman, has strongly denied rape accusations made by his sister in a new lawsuit.
Ann Altman filed legal papers on January 6 in Missouri, USA, claiming her brother sexually abused her repeatedly over nine years, from 1997 to 2006. The alleged abuse began when she was three years old and her brother was 12.
Sam Altman, along with his mother and two brothers, released a joint statement responding to the claims: “All of these claims are utterly untrue.”
The family added: “Caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult. This situation causes immense pain to our entire family.”
The lawsuit, which asks for more than $75,000 in damages, states that some of the alleged abuse happened when Sam Altman was an adult and his sister was still under 18. Ann Altman has previously made similar claims on social media.
Sam Altman is a major figure in the technology world. His company OpenAI created ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot that launched in late 2022.
The case, filed in the US District Court in Missouri’s Eastern District, will go before a jury if it proceeds to trial.
Sam Altman openly declared his sexuality as ‘homosexual’ since he was 17. He is currently in a committed relationship with Oliver Mulherin, an Australian software engineer.
Before his relationship with Mulherin, Altman dated Nick Sivo, a co-founder of their startup Loopt, for nine years.