Ann Altman, the sister of Sam Altman, the creator of ChatGPT, has filed a lawsuit accusing him of sexually abusing her between 1997 and 2006, starting when she was three years old and he was 12.
The lawsuit, filed on January 6 in a US District Court in Missouri, includes claims of rape, sexual assault, and manipulation over several years.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, vehemently denied the allegations in a joint statement with his mother and two brothers, calling the claims “utterly untrue.”
The statement expressed the difficulty of supporting a family member with mental health challenges and noted that Mr. Altman has been providing his sister with financial support and assistance.
Ms. Altman asserts that the abuse caused her severe physical and emotional distress, resulting in ongoing medical and mental health treatment.
Mr. Altman emphasized the family’s efforts to help her find stability without enabling harmful behaviors, describing the situation as a source of immense pain for the family.
The lawsuit also alleges that the abuse continued when Sam Altman was an adult and she was still a minor.
Ms Altman has previously made similar allegations against her brother on social media platforms such as X.
Billionaire Mr Altman, who married his partner Oliver Mulherin in 2024, is one of the technology world’s most high-profile figures.
In late 2022, OpenAI launched the ChatGPT generative AI chatbot. It has become widely used globally for its ability to create computer code, emails, recipes, and many other forms of text—as well as images—based on prompts.
In 2024, Mr Altman returned as OpenAI’s boss just days after he was fired by the board, surviving an attempt at a boardroom coup.
