OpenAI says FBI arrested employee after hidden recording device was found

The company said its AI models helped investigate the device and identify the employee, with no indication that model weights, source code or customer data were accessed improperly.

OpenAI said an employee was arrested after the company discovered a hidden recording device inside one of its offices and referred the matter to the FBI.

The company said Tuesday that it used its own AI models to analyze the device and trace its origins, identifying an employee who allegedly planted it several days earlier. OpenAI terminated the employee and said the FBI’s investigation remains ongoing.

“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 statement.

Federal prosecutors charged OpenAI engineer Abdulrahman Alfozan with attempting to illegally intercept oral communications, the Associated Press reported.

According to the AP, the device was discovered September 30 in a conference room, concealed in toilet paper and connected to a USB port behind a television. Investigators also found another recording device in a bag containing the employee’s personal belongings.

OpenAI did not explain which models it used or detail how their analysis helped identify the employee.

The company described protecting its technology, data and staff as a matter of national importance. It said its security program covers insider threats, cybercriminals and nation states, without attributing the incident to a foreign government.

OpenAI said it would continue supporting the FBI investigation and presented the case as an example of how AI can assist in responding to sophisticated security threats.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Diego Almada Lopez. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.