Former OpenAI Engineer Accused Of Secretly Recording Meetings Had Saudi Royal Family Links: Prosecutors

A former OpenAI engineer accused of secretly installing a recording device in an executive conference room at the artificial intelligence company had extensive contacts in Saudi Arabia, including with a member of the Saudi royal family, US prosecutors have alleged in a court filing, according to Reuters.

Federal prosecutors have urged a judge to keep Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, in custody pending trial, arguing that he poses a flight risk because of his connections in Saudi Arabia and plans to travel there. Alfozan, a Saudi national and lawful permanent resident of the United States, faces a charge of intercepting oral communications using an electronic device.

According to prosecutors, Alfozan allegedly designed customised, encrypted recording devices to capture sensitive meetings involving OpenAI executives, senior personnel, business counterparts and government officials. The allegations were outlined in a detention memorandum made public late on Sunday.

Recording Device Found In OpenAI Conference Room

According to a criminal complaint, Alfozan allegedly plugged a recording device into the back of a television in an executive conference room at one of OpenAI’s buildings in San Francisco.

Prosecutors said government officials attended meetings in the room around the time the device was installed. They also indicated that the investigation remained active and that additional charges could follow.

OpenAI said it discovered the device on September 30 and referred the matter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

In their detention memorandum, prosecutors argued that Alfozan had gone to considerable lengths to create encrypted recording equipment and was communicating with influential individuals in Saudi Arabia while exploring opportunities there and planning travel to the country.

The Saudi government’s media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Alfozan’s lawyer, William Pernik, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pernik had previously sought his client’s release under conditions that included electronic location monitoring and surrendering his passport. He argued that Alfozan had lived in the US for 15 years and had applied for American citizenship.

The defence also maintained that Alfozan’s planned trip to Saudi Arabia this month had been booked before he came under investigation and was intended for family and immigration-related reasons.

Prosecutors Cite Saudi Royal’s Recruitment Messages

The detention memorandum cited messages between Alfozan and a member of the Saudi royal family who allegedly sought to recruit him for an artificial intelligence-focused role in Saudi Arabia.

In one message quoted by prosecutors, the royal family member wrote, “Saudi needs you more then the US!” Alfozan responded with “100”, according to the filing.

Prosecutors also alleged that a Saudi military official paid for a one-way plane ticket for Alfozan’s wife and young son to return to Saudi Arabia after his arrest.

Before his arrest, Alfozan had been scheduled to travel to Riyadh during a planned two-month parental leave. His wife told investigators that she and their son intended to relocate permanently to Saudi Arabia and that Alfozan planned to join them eventually, prosecutors alleged.

In an Arabic-language interview on the Identity Capital podcast last month, Alfozan said he travelled to Saudi Arabia three or four times a year, followed developments there and advised or mentored Saudi startups.

He also recounted meeting Prince Mohammed bin Salman, then deputy crown prince, at a 2016 gathering with young Saudi technology workers in Silicon Valley. Alfozan said the encounter motivated him to gain experience at a leading technology company before returning home to apply his skills.

While working at Facebook, Alfozan and other Saudi nationals in Silicon Valley established a consulting initiative that connected Saudi public- and private-sector organisations with expertise in big data, the internet of things and machine learning.

The allegations have brought renewed attention to the protection of confidential meetings and sensitive information at artificial intelligence companies amid growing international competition in the sector. Alfozan is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

(With Inputs From Reuters)