
A Saudi citizen and former engineer, Abdul Rahman Al-Fozhan, has been booked on charges of espionage by installing a secret recording device in the office of Open AI in California, USA.
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A former engineer at OpenAI's San Francisco office has been accused of planting a secret recording device for spying.
A Saudi citizen has been accused of secretly installing recording equipment in an office of Open AI in California, USA.
US federal prosecutors have identified Abdul Rahman al-Fozhan, who worked as an engineer at an AI company.
They are accused of using or attempting to use any electronic, mechanical or other device to record a conversation.
Open AI said it found a "sophisticated recording device" hidden in its San Francisco office, which the company informed the FBI about.
The company said it used its AI models to determine that the device had been installed there by one of its employees.
hidden in toilet paper
Prosecutors say the device, wrapped in toilet paper, was found plugged into a USB port behind a TV in an executive conference hall.
Open AI, the maker of the popular chatbot ChatGPIT, said it found no indication that source code, model weights or customer data were improperly accessed or stolen in this incident.
The company said that the concerned employee has been fired.
According to the complaint, Al-Fozan "allegedly secretly recorded sensitive conversations by hiding a secret recording device inside his employer's executive conference hall," FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
Patel said his alleged goal was to gain information about the company's AI product.
Prosecutors say Al-Fozan had been working as an engineer at OpenAI since July 2025.
On September 30, OpenAI employees detected the device. Two days after it was installed, prosecutors said the device was encrypted.
OpenAI said that using their AI models they were able to "understand the device and its source, which determined that a particular employee had placed it there a few days earlier."
According to the FBI, the defendants used a productivity tool and a chatbot to gather information about sensitive locations in Open AI and learn how to covertly install audio equipment there.
It is alleged that the questions to which he sought answers on the chatbot included making a device, modifying it, installing it, recording audio, testing it, hiding its identity and accessing it remotely.
He is also accused of asking the chatbot how to make a device that records audio continuously,
Questions included how to change Wi-Fi connectivity, how to improve audio and live listening, and how to encrypt an SD card.
According to prosecutors, on October 5, the accused allegedly returned to the office room to check the equipment installed there. CCTV camera footage has been claimed to be his photograph.
That same day, Al-Fozan left a bag unattended in another part of the building, prosecutors said.
When the security team of Open AI opened the bag, his wallet and identity card were found in it. The bag also contained another recording device, similar to the one found in the office conference room.
Al-Fozan appeared in court on Tuesday. It is not clear whether any lawyer is representing him on his behalf.
If found guilty, he could face up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Abdul Rahman al-Fozan faces up to five years in prison and a fine if found guilty.
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