FBI arrests Saudi OpenAI employee who allegedly planted recording device in conference room
The Tuesday incident comes as the ChatGPT-maker, along with competitors, faces heightened scrutiny over its safety practices.
Key points
- Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national and OpenAI employee, was arrested on Oct. 9.
- A hidden recording device was found in OpenAI's executive conference room.
- The FBI said Alfozan allegedly tried to capture sensitive superintelligence communications.
An OpenAI employee was arrested after a hidden recording device was found in the company's executive conference room, the Department of Justice and OpenAI said. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi national, was arrested on Oct. 9, the DOJ said Tuesday.
OpenAI said the employee planted the device a few days before it was discovered and that the FBI moved quickly to arrest him. The employee was fired.
What investigators found
The DOJ said Alfozan was not authorized to enter the executive conference room. Footage showed him near the room on several days before the device was found, and the DOJ said he entered the room on Oct. 5.
A bag found in the OpenAI building on or about Oct. 5 belonged to Alfozan, the DOJ said. It contained his wallet, ID and another recording device similar to the one in the conference room. The device was hidden in toilet paper and its contents were encrypted, according to the DOJ.
The department said a chatbot account linked to Alfozan's spouse was used to seek information about continuous audio recording and Wi-Fi. It said prompts were submitted about building, customizing, installing, audio recording, testing, obfuscating and remotely accessing a device.
allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology
— FBI Director Kash Patel
Company and official response
FBI Director Kash Patel said Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device in his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology.
OpenAI said it had no indications that the individual inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code or customer data. The company said it takes protecting its technology, data and people seriously and as a matter of national importance.
Alfozan is listed as a partner at Raed Ventures, a Middle East and North Africa-focused venture capital firm, according to its website. Raed, based in Riyadh, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
