Ex-OpenAI Employee Who Planted Device Had Saudi Backing, Court Filing Shows
US prosecutors charged Alfozan last week with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications.
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- Abdulrahman Alfozan allegedly planted a recording device at OpenAI's office in San Francisco
- US prosecutors claim Alfozan had frequent contact with a Saudi royal family member
- A Saudi military member reportedly paid for Alfozan's family's one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia
What information was discussed in that conference room?
Washington:
An ex-OpenAI engineer accused of planting a recording device in an executive conference room at the AI company appears to have received considerable support from the Saudi government, US prosecutors said in a court filing.
Federal prosecutors allege that the defendant, Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was in frequent communication with an unnamed member of the Saudi Royal family and that a member of the Saudi military paid for a one-way plane ticket for Alfozan's wife and son to return to Saudi Arabia, according to the court document, made public late on Sunday.
Prosecutors made those allegations as they asked a federal judge to keep Alfozan in US custody to await trial, arguing he is a flight risk. Alfozan, a Saudi national, is scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco later on Monday.
The court filing alleges significant ties between the Saudi government and Alfozan. The case has highlighted security challenges around sensitive AI research as companies and governments compete fiercely for an edge in the transformational technology.
The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US prosecutors charged Alfozan last week with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications. Alfozan plugged a recording device into the back of a television in an executive conference room at one of OpenAI's San Francisco buildings, according to a criminal complaint.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Got a follow‑up question on this article? Go on
- What specific type of recording device was used in the incident?
- How did investigators discover the surveillance device inside the conference room?
- What security upgrades are AI companies implementing after this breach?
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