A Saudi national employed as an engineer at OpenAI has been charged with secretly planting a recording device in one of the company's offices in California, federal prosecutors announced.
According to prosecutors, the device was wrapped in toilet paper and inserted into a USB port on the back of a TV in an executive conference room. OpenAI employees discovered the device on 30 September, two days after it was allegedly installed.
The FBI stated that the suspect used a productivity tool and a chatbot to research sensitive locations at OpenAI and methods for secretly placing audio equipment. Prosecutors allege his chatbot prompts included queries about building, customising, installing, audio recording, testing, obfuscating, and remotely accessing a device.