The irony of OpenAI crying foul over spying
A company that owes its existence and enormous valuation to stealing others' work is now up in arms about theft.
Key points
- The FBI arrested Saudi engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan on October 9 for planting a recording device at OpenAI's San Francisco office.
- Alfozan faces up to five years in jail and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
- The article notes OpenAI itself faces lawsuits over using stolen journalism to train ChatGPT.
The FBI arrested Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi citizen and engineer at OpenAI, on October 9. He is accused of installing a hidden audio recording device in an executive conference room at the company's San Francisco offices.
A Department of Justice press release said the device was concealed in toilet paper and attached to the back of a television monitor. If convicted, Alfozan faces up to five years in jail and a $250,000 fine.
Official reactions
Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton said the situation shows why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security priority. FBI director Kash Patel said protecting American SI innovation is essential to economic strength and national security.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche posted on X on Tuesday that theft of intellectual property involving cutting-edge super intelligence technology poses a serious threat to national security.
this serious situation underscores why winning the global super intelligence race is a national security prerogative
— Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton
OpenAI's own record
The article points out that OpenAI, which describes its mission as ensuring artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity, has itself faced accusations of stealing. In July, US media outlets including the New York Times and the New York Daily News asked a federal judge to sanction OpenAI for hiding and destroying evidence about how ChatGPT was trained on stolen journalism, according to attorney Steven Lieberman.
Gizmodo noted that the spying device used in the alleged plot can be easily ordered online for $13.99. The article suggests a double standard, saying when OpenAI steals it is to benefit humanity, but when a Saudi engineer does it, it is a national security crisis.
