Open AI CEO Sam Altman on Tuesday dismissed allegations from his sister Annie Altman, who has filed a complaint accusing him of childhood sexual abuse.
“…Annie has made deeply hurtful and completely untrue claims about our family, especially Sam,” the head of the Californian startup said in a letter signed by his mother and two brothers and published on the X social platform.
“Our family loves Annie and is very concerned for her well-being. Caring for a family member facing mental health challenges is incredibly difficult,” they wrote.
One of Silicon Valley’s more charismatic figures, Altman shot to global fame with the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, which ignited a race to advance AI research and development.
A prolific entrepreneur and already a billionaire, Altman, 39, has set himself the mission of developing a so-called “general” AI, with cognitive abilities similar to those of humans, and which “benefits all of humanity”.
The Altman family said they have tried to help their daughter and sister by covering her expenses and guaranteeing her “monthly financial support that we expect will continue for the rest of her life”.
“Despite this, Annie continues to demand more money from us,” they said, noting that they have decided to respond publicly following Anne’s legal complaint filed on Monday, and after years of tension.
“The worst claim she has made is that she was sexually abused by Sam as a child,” the family said.
“Her allegations have evolved dramatically over time. New to this lawsuit, they now include allegations of incidents where Sam was over 18.
“All these claims are completely false.”
According to the complaint, Annie – who is nine years younger than Sam Altman – claims the abuse took place from 1997, when she was three, until 2006.
In a 2023 report for New York Magazine, a journalist who met Annie in Hawaii described her as an artist suffering from depression and growing discord with her family, supporting herself mainly through online sex work.
