Saudi national charged over hidden recording device at OpenAI office

Federal authorities have charged and arrested Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi Arabian national who worked as an engineer at OpenAI, for allegedly planting a hidden recording device in the company's San Francisco office, the BBC and CNBC reported. CNBC reported that the Department of Justice announced the arrest on Tuesday. [1][4][5]

The BBC reported that Alfozan was charged with using or endeavoring to use a device to intercept oral communications. According to CNBC, Alfozan is 35 years old and was arrested on October 9 in connection with the incident. [1][4][5]

Federal prosecutors stated that the device was found inserted into a USB port on the back of a television inside an executive conference room, wrapped in toilet paper, the BBC reported. OpenAI stated that it discovered the device, used its own artificial intelligence models to determine that an employee had planted it, and alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to the BBC and CNBC. [1][4]

CNBC reported that the incident occurred as OpenAI and its competitors face increased scrutiny over safety practices. [4]