OpenAI engineer allegedly used chatbot to prepare hidden office recorder

An OpenAI engineer allegedly consulted AI tools while preparing to secretly record executive discussions at the company's San Francisco offices. Federal authorities arrested Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, on October 9, and he appeared in court on October 13 on a charge involving the interception of spoken communications. The allegations remain unproven.

Prosecutors say a chatbot account linked to Alfozan's spouse sought guidance during September 24 through September 30 on concealed recording, encryption and remote access. They allege that some prompts included a hardware identifier matching the recorder investigators recovered. Staff reportedly discovered the encrypted device around September 30, concealed behind a television in a room used by executives.

OpenAI said its AI systems helped examine the device and connect it to an employee, whom it fired. The company said it had found no evidence that the individual improperly obtained customer information, software source files or model weights. Prosecutors allege the targeted room hosted confidential discussions about research and company plans.

The FBI investigation continues, and OpenAI said it would assist investigators. A conviction could carry a prison sentence of up to five years.