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    Blog site Tumblr launches anti-bullying support campaign

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments754 Views
    In this May 2, 2015 photo, Elizabeth Banks poses for a portrait during press day for "Pitch Perfect 2" at The Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. (Photo by Casey Curry/Invision/AP)
    LOS ANGELES (AP) --

    Actress Elizabeth Banks, singer Jordin Sparks and Vice President Joe Biden are among those helping Tumblr establish a safe place from bullies online.

    The celebrities will appear in videos on the blogging website to launch its new #PostItForward campaign Wednesday, which organizers say is aimed at building a virtual community where it's safe to discuss personal issues such as sexuality, mental health or self-esteem.

    "Bullying, coming out, being depressed: for our users, they're really intertwined," said Liba Rubenstein, Tumblr's director of outreach, causes, politics and advocacy. "We wanted to create a place that acknowledges that whole experience."

    She said the story of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn, who programmed her Tumblr page to post her suicide note, is among many heartbreaking experiences shared on Tumblr. Rubenstein said the new blog will aggregate such stories and highlight users' positive experiences with social media.

    "We hope to change the conversation in society about the role online communities play in some of these issues," she said.

    Tags:Elizabeth BanksTumblr



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    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

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