Ex-OpenAI worker accused of planting bug had Saudi support, claims prosecutors

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.

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.

The Saudi government did not respond to BBC requests for comment.

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.

A camera was placed in the room and on 5 October, Alfozan was filmed entering and appearing to look behind the television where the audio recorder had been inserted.

He was arrested by the FBI on 9 October and his contract with OpenAI was terminated.

The court filing claimed the suspect's alleged conduct could pose "a danger to the national security of the United States", because executives from the tech firm met with government officials in the room during the days the device was believed to have been installed.

It said Alfozan's arrest came three days before he was scheduled to fly from San Francisco to Riyadh on a one-way itinerary with his wife and son.

Following the arrest, the document claims the defendant's wife told FBI agents who interviewed her that "her US visa was expiring" and so she and her son were "permanently moving back to Saudi Arabia", and her husband intended to do the same.

On 10 October, the day after Alfozan was arrested, his wife and son flew from San Francisco to Doha, Qatar. They travelled on a one-way business class ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official.

"Ultimately, the defendant has little incentive to remain in the United States to see this case through," the prosecutors argued.

US district judge Alex Tse on Monday denied Alfozan's attorneys request for his release on bail, saying "there is a risk of non-appearance that is significant".

Alfozan was scheduled to ‌appear ⁠in federal court in San Francisco later on Monday. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 (£188,000) fine.

Toilet paper and secret recorders: What we know about the arrest of the Saudi OpenAI engineer