San Francisco: A 35 year old Saudi national employed as an engineer at OpenAI has been arrested in the United States for allegedly installing a concealed audio recording device in an executive conference room at the artificial intelligence company’s San Francisco office, according to federal prosecutors.
Abdulrahman Alfozan was arrested on October 9 and appeared in federal court on October 13. He faces a charge of using or attempting to use an electronic device to intercept oral communications, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said. He remains in federal custody, with a detention hearing scheduled for October 19.
The device was discovered on September 30, after being allegedly concealed in toilet paper and inserted into a USB port at the back of a television in the conference room. Investigators believe it was installed around September 28. Its contents were encrypted, and its intended use and the extent of any recordings remain unclear.
According to the DOJ complaint, the room was regularly used for meetings involving confidential technical research, product plans, commercial opportunities and strategic decisions. Surveillance footage allegedly showed Alfozan near the room on multiple occasions, although he was not authorised to attend meetings held there.
Prosecutors also allege that Alfozan used an internal productivity tool to search for office addresses, meeting room details, calendars and the locations of meetings involving company leadership and external partners.
A chatbot account associated with his spouse reportedly contained queries about constructing, installing and remotely accessing an audio recorder, improving live listening and encrypting stored data. Investigators also allege that the account submitted prompts specifically related to the device shortly before its discovery.
The investigation expanded on October 5, when OpenAI security personnel reportedly found an unattended bag belonging to Alfozan in another room. The bag allegedly contained a second recording device similar to the one discovered in the conference room, along with personal identification and other belongings.
OpenAI confirmed that it discovered a sophisticated recording device, referred the matter to the FBI and terminated the employee. The company said it used its AI models to help investigate the device and identify its suspected origin.
However, OpenAI stated that it had no indication that Alfozan improperly accessed or extracted model weights, source code or customer data. Authorities have not publicly established whether sensitive conversations were successfully recorded or disclosed.
US prosecutors said Alfozan faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $ 250,000 fine if convicted, along with possible supervised release.
The FBI investigation is ongoing. The allegations have not been proven in court, and Alfozan is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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