In this March 12, 2012 file photo, actor Ed O'Neill, a cast member in the television series "Modern Family," poses before the PaleyFest panel discussion on the show, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) --
Actor Ed O'Neill is supporting an effort to raise funds to complete a documentary about a colorful congressman in his native northeast Ohio.
Filmmaker Eric Murphy says he is has a crowd-funding campaign to raise $17,500 to finish production and add a new ending to "Traficant: Congressman of Crimetown." Former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. died last month at age 73 following a tractor accident on his family's farm near Youngstown.
O'Neill was interviewed for the documentary and added a narrative voice. Backers who pledge at least $2,500 get lunch with O'Neill, the veteran actor who's in the TV comedy series "Modern Family." The Plain Dealer of Cleveland reports they also will get co-producer credit.
O'Neill has signed books, artwork and other items for $1,000 pledges.
Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)
Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.
Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.
"We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.
Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.
His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.
Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.
"Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More
