OpenAI employee arrested over alleged installation of recording device

OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan was arrested and charged with using or attempting to use a device to intercept oral communications, according to the US Department of Justice. The company says it found the device plugged into a television’s USB port and concealed in toilet paper inside an executive conference room used for confidential technical, commercial, and strategic discussions. OpenAI says it used its models to understand the device and identify the employee who allegedly installed it days earlier; the company fired him and referred the case to the FBI.

According to Wired, a court complaint says Alfozan allegedly queried a chatbot and an internal tool while planning the installation. Authorities also found another device in his bag. OpenAI says it has found no indication that he improperly accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code, or customer data; the FBI investigation is ongoing.