Brisanter Fund: Wanze in OpenAI-Konferenzraum - Mitarbeiter festgenommen

A 35-year-old Saudi national, a worker at ChatGPT developer OpenAI, is suspected of placing a listening device in an OpenAI conference room where business secrets are often discussed. The employee was arrested, according to both the company and the US Department of Justice. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the case.

The listening device was discovered two days prior in a San Francisco conference room, hidden in the USB port of a television set inside a roll of toilet paper. The arrested employee was captured on security cameras near the conference room, which he did not have access to, attempting to peer behind the television. The investigation also revealed that his wife had made inquiries about recording devices using the employee's OpenAI account.

The chat log contained features of the device found in the conference room. If convicted, the employee faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to 250,000 euros. US intelligence coordinator Jay Clayton emphasized in the statement that the case highlights the importance of winning the race in artificial intelligence development for US national security.

Clayton was tasked with central oversight of AI by President Donald Trump. Recently, a whistleblower AI researcher had speculated that Chinese spies had infiltrated major AI labs at OpenAI and Anthropic, though no evidence was presented.