San Francisco · Saudi Arabia · California · OpenAI · FBI · U.S. · BBC Technology
Ex-OpenAI worker accused of planting flaw had Saudi support, argues prosecutors
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
A Saudi national charged with secretly planting a recording device in one of OpenAI's meeting rooms has been accused of having "considerable support" from the Saudi government, according to a court filing, external in California.
Key facts
- On 10 October, the day after Alfozan was arrested, his wife and son flew from San Francisco to Doha, Qatar — He was arrested by the FBI on 9 October and his contract with OpenAI was terminated
- The AI company discovered the device, which was plugged into the back of a TV in a conference meeting room and covered up with toilet paper, on 30 September
- The 35-year-old engineer was deemed a flight risk and denied bail on Monday, pending a trial
Summary
US prosecutors claimed Abdulrahman Alfozan, who worked for the ChatGPT-maker, was in "frequent communication. with a member of the Saudi royal family", and said a member of the country's military paid for a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia for his wife and son after his arrest. The 35-year-old engineer was deemed a flight risk and denied bail on Monday, pending a trial. Alfozan had worked at OpenAI for around a year before he allegedly made his attempt to plant an audio recorder. The AI company discovered the device, which was plugged into the back of a TV in a conference meeting room and covered up with toilet paper, on 30 September.