The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has apprehended Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national employed as an engineer at OpenAI, for allegedly installing a recording device within the organisation. OpenAI reported that it employed its artificial intelligence models to trace the origins of the device after it was discovered in its San Francisco office.

The incident has raised significant concerns regarding security within the company. According to the US Department of Justice, Alfozan is accused of planning to secretly capture sensitive communications pertaining to OpenAI’s technology. The recording device was reportedly placed in an executive conference room, which is often used for high-level discussions.

Alfozan was taken into custody on October 9 and made his initial court appearance shortly thereafter. Abdulrahman Alfozan, aged 35, is a permanent resident of the United States who joined OpenAI in July 2025. If found guilty, he faces a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, alongside a fine of $250,000 (approximately Rs 2.37 crore) and three years of supervised release.

Discovery of the Device and Subsequent Actions

OpenAI employees reportedly discovered the thumb-sized recording device during a countersurveillance sweep on September 30. The device was hidden within toilet paper and inserted into a USB port on the back of a television in the conference room. It allegedly contained a microphone, a detachable camera sensor, and microSD storage.

Upon locating the device, OpenAI stated that it utilised its internal AI models to analyse the device and trace its origin, leading to the identification of Alfozan as the individual responsible for its placement. The company subsequently notified the FBI regarding the incident. The recording device was reportedly installed around September 28, although its contents were encrypted and inaccessible.

Investigators allege that Alfozan employed a productivity tool to gather information about OpenAI’s facilities, including details about meeting rooms, capacities, calendars, and executive locations. Furthermore, he is accused of using an AI chatbot account linked to his spouse to inquire about various technical aspects related to audio recording and device installation between September 24 and September 30.

Security Measures and Alfozan’s Background

The conference room where Alfozan allegedly placed the device was frequently used for discussions involving sensitive topics among OpenAI executives. CCTV footage reportedly captured Alfozan near the room on multiple occasions, despite him lacking the necessary authorisation to access it or participate in meetings.

On October 5, footage allegedly showed him entering the conference room and inspecting behind the television. On the same day, Alfozan left a bag unattended in another room, which OpenAI security personnel later searched, discovering his wallet, identification, and a second encrypted recording device similar to the first.

Although Alfozan later retrieved the bag from lost and found, he failed to mention the second device when reporting other missing belongings, according to prosecutors. OpenAI has stated that there are currently no indications of any data breaches. The company confirmed, “At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data.”

Following the incident, OpenAI terminated Alfozan’s employment. In addition to his role at OpenAI, Abdulrahman Alfozan is also a venture partner at Raed Ventures. His professional background includes positions at Meta, Microsoft, and SAP, and he holds a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from MIT.

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