OpenAI chief Sam Altman denies sexual assault allegations made by sister in lawsuit

Sam Altman, the CEO of the American artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI, has denied sexual assault allegations made by his sister Ann Altman in a lawsuit filed on Monday.

In the case lodged at the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri, Ann alleges that Sam regularly sexually abused her as they were growing up between 1997 and 2006.

She claims it began when she was three and he 12.

In a joint statement shared on Sam’s social media accounts on Wednesday morning (EAT), the OpenAI chief, his mother, Connie, and brothers Jack and Max denied the allegations.

“Annie has made deeply hurtful and entirely untrue claims about our family, and especially Sam. We've chosen not to respond publicly, out of respect for her privacy and our own. However, she has now taken legal action against Sam, and we feel we have no choice but to address this,” they wrote.

Sam, 39, and his family said “All of these claims are utterly untrue,” adding that “this situation causes immense pain to our entire family.”

They said Ann, 30, faces “mental health challenges” and “refuses conventional treatment and lashes out at family members who are genuinely trying to help.”

Ann has previously made similar sexual assault allegations against her brother on social media, but this is the first time she has taken him to court.

In the lawsuit, she claims the abuse included rape. She is suing for damages, claiming she has experienced severe emotional distress and faces mounting medical bills related to her mental health treatment.

Ann requests a jury trial and damages over of $75,000 (about Ksh.9.7 million).

Sam Altman is among the world’s most prominent tech figures. In late 2022, OpenAI launched the ChatGPT AI chatbot to massive success, although he has said he does not own equity in the company, which was recently valued at $157 billion (Ksh.20.3 trillion).

Forbes places Mr Altman’s net worth at $1.1 billion (Ksh.142.3 billion).