An OpenAI engineer was arrested after the company discovered a hidden recording device in one of its offices, according to the Department of Justice. The employee was identified as Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi national. He faces a charge of using or endeavoring to use a device to intercept oral communications.
OpenAI said the device was a sophisticated recorder found plugged into a television's USB port inside an executive conference room, a space where highly confidential technical, commercial, and strategic information is discussed. According to the DOJ, the device was concealed with toilet paper and had been installed on or around September 28th. Its contents were encrypted.
Prosecutors said Alfozan did not have access to the executive conference room. CCTV footage allegedly showed him near the room on multiple dates before the device was found, and also captured him appearing to look behind the television where it had been placed. The DOJ additionally claims OpenAI security found a bag Alfozan left in another room inside the office, containing his wallet, ID, and a second recording device.
OpenAI said it used its own AI models to examine the device and trace its origin, which led the company to identify a specific employee as having planted it a few days earlier. The company said it fired the employee and referred the matter to the FBI. Alfozan was arrested Friday and has remained in custody since, making his first appearance in federal court on Tuesday.
In a statement, 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 the protection of its technology, data, and people seriously and considers it a matter of national importance, adding that its security program is built to address threats ranging from insider risks to cybercriminals to nation states. OpenAI also said the case illustrates how AI can help counter sophisticated security threats.
The FBI's investigation is ongoing, and OpenAI said it will continue to support that work. The charge against Alfozan was announced in a DOJ press release.
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