How OpenAI used its own AI technology to trace hidden recording device; FBI arrests Saudi engineer
PTC News Desk: The FBI has arrested Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national and former OpenAI engineer, for allegedly placing a hidden recording device inside the company’s office. OpenAI said it used its AI models to investigate the device and trace its origin after employees discovered it.
According to the US Department of Justice, Alfozan allegedly planned to secretly record confidential discussions about OpenAI’s AI technology. The device was reportedly planted in an executive conference room at the company’s San Francisco office.
Alfozan was arrested on October 9 and appeared in federal court for the first time on Tuesday. The 35-year-old is a US permanent resident who joined OpenAI in July 2025. If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison, a fine of $250,000 (around Rs 2.37 crore) and three years of supervised release.
OpenAI said employees discovered the device on September 30 during a security sweep. The thumb-sized device was hidden in toilet paper and plugged into a USB port at the back of a television in a conference room. The device reportedly contained a microphone, a detachable camera sensor and a microSD storage card.
AI Chatbot used to plan the attempt
Investigators allege that Alfozan used a workplace productivity tool to gather information about OpenAI’s buildings, meeting rooms, room capacities, calendars, executive locations and meetings with outside partners.
He also allegedly used an AI chatbot account linked to his spouse to ask questions about building, installing, testing and remotely accessing an audio-recording device between September 24 and September 30.
According to the complaint, the conference room where the device was allegedly planted was regularly used by OpenAI executives for highly confidential discussions. CCTV footage reportedly showed Alfozan near the room on several occasions, even though he was not authorised to enter it or attend meetings there.
On October 5, CCTV footage allegedly showed Alfozan entering the conference room and looking behind the television. On the same day, he left a bag unattended in another room. OpenAI security staff searched the bag and found his wallet, identification documents and a second encrypted recording device similar to the first one.
Prosecutors said Alfozan later collected the bag from the lost-and-found section and reported that some belongings were missing. However, he did not mention the second recording device.
No data compromised: OpenAI
OpenAI said it had found no evidence that its data had been compromised. The company stated that there were no indications that Alfozan had improperly accessed or taken AI model weights, source code or customer data.
OpenAI terminated his employment following the incident. Alfozan is also a venture partner at investment firm Raed Ventures. According to the firm’s website, he previously worked as an engineering lead at OpenAI, focusing on AI agents and the data platform. Before joining OpenAI, he worked at Meta, Microsoft and SAP. He holds a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
- PTC NEWS
