Saudi OpenAI engineer arrested for allegedly planting $14 recording device in company office

A 35-year-old Saudi engineer, Abdulrahman Alfozan, was arrested by the FBI for allegedly installing a covert listening device in a meeting room at OpenAI. The device, a Seeed Xiao ESP32-S3 Sense, was discovered in the back of a television and covered with toilet paper on September 28, according to the DOJ. The FBI alleges that Alfozan used the device to secretly record sensitive communications about the company's super intelligence technology.

The device, listed for $14 on seeedstudio.com, was equipped with a microphone, camera sensor, and microSD storage, making it capable of surreptitiously recording without detection. Alfozan was reportedly seen looking at the back of the television where the device was installed on October 5. In addition to the device, FBI agents found another similar recording device in Alfozan's unattended bag, along with his wallet and ID.

OpenAI security also investigated Alfozan's online activities, discovering that he had researched how to build, customize, install, test, hide, and remotely access a sound recording device using a chatbot under his spouse's account. The DOJ claims that Alfozan used the chatbot to inquire about various aspects of constructing the device, including custom Wi-Fi connectivity, audio quality, and encryption.

It remains unclear whether Alfozan acted alone or if he was involved in a larger scheme of AI-related espionage. If convicted, Alfozan faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, followed by three years of supervised release.