OpenAI fires employees after spying device found in office

OpenAI has terminated an employee after a hidden recording device was discovered inside one of its San Francisco offices, with the company saying it referred the matter to the FBI and is continuing to cooperate with an ongoing investigation. According to a report by Fortune, the federal authorities have arrested 35-year-old Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan, an OpenAI engineering lead, on allegations that he secretly installed the device in a conference room used for highly confidential company discussions.The incident came to light on September 30 when OpenAI's technical surveillance countermeasures team found a concealed audio-recording device plugged into a USB port behind a television in a conference room, according to the FBI. The device had allegedly been hidden with a piece of toilet paper and was designed to evade detection, featuring advanced encryption, audio-monitoring capabilities and a mechanism for transferring data.OpenAI: 'FBI's investigation is ongoing'In a statement posted on X, OpenAI said it had used its AI models to analyse the device and trace it back to a specific employee who allegedly planted it days earlier."We discovered a sophisticated recording device that was hidden inside one of our offices," the company said. "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."The company added: "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."OpenAI also stressed that it has found no evidence that sensitive AI assets or customer information were accessed. "At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data," the company said, confirming that the employee had been terminated.FBI alleges device targeted confidential AI discussionsAccording to federal investigators, the conference room regularly hosted discussions involving OpenAI's proprietary research, product plans, business-development opportunities and strategic decisions. The FBI alleged that the device was placed to secretly capture conversations related to the company's advanced AI technologies.FBI Director Kash Patel described the case as a national-security matter. "According to the complaint unsealed today, Abdulrahman Alfozan allegedly concealed a covert recording device inside his employer's executive conference room to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology," Patel said.He added that protecting American artificial intelligence innovation remains a key counterintelligence priority for the bureau.Employee arrested, faces prison termFederal authorities arrested Alfozan on October 9. Prosecutors have charged him with using or attempting to use an electronic device to intercept oral communications. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison.Authorities allege that OpenAI worked with the FBI between the discovery of the device and the arrest, restricting the employee's access to company systems while investigators gathered evidence. CCTV footage and other evidence reportedly linked him to the device, according to the complaint cited by Fortune.No evidence of leaks so farIt is unclear what Alfozan planned to do with the recordings. Neither OpenAI nor the FBI has found evidence that anything leaked.“At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data,” OpenAI said in a post on X. The company added that it takes protecting its technology, data and people seriously “as a matter of national importance.” The FBI’s investigation is ongoing.OpenAI said it used its own models to understand the device and to identify which employee planted it. It called the case an example of how AI can help address sophisticated security threats.