Abdulrahman Alfozan, the Saudi Arabian former OpenAI employee accused of spying on the AI lab, has pleaded not guilty to US charges after being arrested last month in an FBI probe. The former OpenAI engineer was detained after the ChatGPT maker found a recording device wrapped in toilet paper and hidden behind a television in one of the executive conference rooms at its San Francisco headquarters.
The FBI claims Alfozan placed the bug at OpenAI's office around September 28, where it was discovered by the startup's security team. Prosecutors have said he had "frequent" contact on WhatsApp with an unnamed member of Saudi Arabia's royal family since at least last year and enjoyed "considerable support from a foreign government." If convicted, Alfozan could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for one count of illegally intercepting communications. The next hearing is set for November 17.
OpenAI has said there is no indication that customer data, source code or the "weights" that determine how its systems operate have been stolen. The case has heightened concerns that leading US AI companies are targets for international espionage seeking advanced technology and trade secrets. US AI companies have stepped up security and screening of employees, and on Thursday three senior Republicans in the US House of Representatives called on Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, to brief their committees after reports he was targeted by a Chinese espionage operation.
Alfozan, an OpenAI engineer since last year, has been a permanent legal resident of the US since 2020 and is listed as a venture partner at Riyadh-based Raed Ventures. Before joining OpenAI, he had worked at Facebook and founded a logistics startup, Nash. Court documents say he had booked a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia with his wife and another family member for three days after his arrest. His lawyer, William Pernik, has said the alleged activity is "totally out of character for him."
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing