A Saudi engineer at artificial intelligence giant OpenAI was arrested and charged with attempting to bug confidential meetings by planting secret recording devices in executive conference rooms, federal prosecutors said.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, who is from Saudi Arabia, is in federal custody after his arrest Friday.
OpenAI discovered a “surreptitious audio recording device” stuffed into a USB port on the back of a TV in a conference room — wrapped in toilet paper in an attempt to conceal the device, according to the complaint.
A photo in the court document show an oddly placed object on the back of a TV.
Another photo shows the alleged device with the branding of Seeed Studio, a company that appears to offer AI recording products.
Meetings in that conference room apparently involved high-level discussions of the company’s confidential plans, such as proprietary research, OpenAI’s technical capabilities, its government relationships and more.
Footage showed Alfozan appearing near the conference room multiple times, even though he had no authority to access the room or participate in those meetings, the complaint said.
He has worked for the San Francisco-based AI company since July 2025, the Department of Justice said.
“Any attempt to illicitly obtain protected information from U.S. super intelligence and technology companies threatens both American innovation and the national security interests those advancements support,” said Special Agent in Charge Scott Schelble of the FBI San Francisco Field Office.
Alfozan also used chatbots to plot the alleged recording efforts, asking about OpenAI’s building addresses, meeting rooms, meeting-room capacities and calendars, authorities said.
He even requested information about the locations of “leadership and exec,” per the complaint.
Another chatbot account associated with his wife allegedly included queries on ways to install and hide audio recording devices.
On Oct. 5, a photo allegedly captures Alfozan entering the conference room to get a sneak peek at the recording device. Around that same time, OpenAI security workers found a similar recording device in Alfozan’s unattended bag, said the DOJ.
Alfozan faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, followed by 3 years of supervised release, if convicted.
The case is of particular importance amid an AI arms race between the U.S., China and other countries.
America, home to Silicon Valley, is attempting to keep its world-leading technology away from the hands of adversaries.
“Protecting American Super Intelligence innovation is essential to safeguarding our nation’s economic strength and national security, and the FBI views that mission as one of our highest counterintelligence priorities,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
An OpenAI spokesperson told the California Post that there was no indications of Alfozan inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code or customer data. He was fired.
“We take protecting our technology, data, and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance. Our security program is designed to protect against a wide range of threat actors, from insider risks to cybercriminals to nation states, and this case is an example of how AI can help address these sophisticated security threats,” OpenAI said.
