OpenAI finds hidden recording device in office, Saudi national arrested after FBI probe

OpenAI has discovered a sophisticated recording device hidden inside one of its offices and identified an employee who allegedly planted it, the artificial intelligence company said.

In a post on X, OpenAI Newsroom said the device was discovered recently and the company used its AI models to understand the device and trace its origin, identifying an employee who had planted it a few days earlier.

The employee identified for planting the device has been terminated.

“We referred the matter to the FBI, and we’re grateful to the agents and prosecutors who moved quickly to make an arrest,” OpenAI said.

"The FBI's investigation is ongoing and we will continue to support their work," it added.

The company said it had no indications so far that the individual had inappropriately accessed or extracted model weights, source code or customer data.

“We take protecting our technology, data, and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance,” the company said.

According to the FBI, a 35-year-old Saudi national employed as an engineer at OpenAI has been arrested in the US for allegedly planting a covert audio recording device in an executive conference room of the AI company.

Abdulrahman Alfozan was arrested on October 9 and charged with using or attempting to use an electronic, mechanical or other device to intercept oral communications, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.

According to the complaint, OpenAI personnel discovered a concealed recording device on September 30, inserted into a USB port at the back of a television in an executive conference room at one of the company's buildings in San Francisco.

The device, which had been concealed in toilet paper, was allegedly installed around September 28, and its contents were encrypted, the complaint said.

The complaint alleges that meetings in the conference room frequently involved highly confidential technical, commercial and strategic information, including proprietary research, product plans, business-development opportunities, the company's technical progress and strategic decisions, government engagements and commercial relationships.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the alleged attempt to record confidential discussions involving the company's advanced AI technology was a matter of national security and that protecting US innovation was a counterintelligence priority.