Saudi OpenAI engineer arrested for planting hidden device to record executive meetings

Saudi OpenAI engineer arrested over hidden recording device in executive conference room

A Saudi national and OpenAI engineer has been arrested by US federal agents and charged with allegedly installing a hidden audio recording device in an executive conference room at the AI company to capture sensitive discussions about its technology, the US Justice Department said Tuesday.The employee, identified as 35-year-old Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested on Friday.The complaint did not name the company, but OpenAI confirmed in a separate statement that it had discovered a “sophisticated recording device that was hidden inside one of our offices”. The company reported the discovery to the FBI and fired the employee.“We used our models to understand the device and where it had come from, identifying that a specific employee had planted it a few days earlier.

We referred the matter to the FBI, and we’re grateful to the agents and prosecutors who moved quickly to make an arrest. The FBI’s investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work,” an OpenAI spokesperson was quoted as saying by AP.“At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data. The employee was terminated,” the statement read.

The complaint does not specify what Alfozan intended to do with the recorded conversations. However, OpenAI said the device was sophisticated, designed to evade detection and equipped with advanced encryption and audio-monitoring capabilities.The company also said it had evidence that the employee planned to install additional listening devices in other parts of the office building to record meetings.Alfozan appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday. He faces a charge of using or attempting to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications.According to the complaint, the recording device was found on September 30, concealed in toilet paper and plugged into a USB port at the back of a television in an executive conference room.The conference room did not have a security camera when the device was installed. However, CCTV footage from other parts of the office showed Alfozan near the room on nearly a dozen occasions last month, despite having no authority to access the space or attend meetings there, the complaint said.

OpenAI later installed a camera in the room. According to the FBI, footage recorded last week showed Alfozan entering the room and checking behind the television where the device had been placed.The complaint also alleges that Alfozan used a productivity tool to make multiple inquiries about the company's building addresses, meeting rooms, room capacities and calendars.Days before his arrest last week, Alfozan allegedly left an unattended bag in another room. When OpenAI personnel opened it, they found his wallet, identification documents and another recording device similar to the one discovered in the executive conference room, the complaint said.