Ex-OpenAI employee accused of planting device has Saudi backing: Prosecutor

US federal prosecutors allege the defendant was in frequent contact with unnamed member of royal family.

The case highlights security challenges around sensitive AI research as companies and governments compete fiercely for an edge in the transformational technology [File: Dado Ruvic/Illustration via Reuters]

An ex-OpenAI engineer accused of planting a recording device in an executive conference room at the AI company appears to have received considerable support from the Saudi government, United States prosecutors have said in a court filing.

Federal prosecutors allege that the defendant, Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, was in frequent communication with an unnamed member of the Saudi royal family and 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, according to the court document, made public late on Sunday.

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Prosecutors made those allegations as they asked a federal judge to keep Alfozan in US custody to await trial, arguing he is a flight risk. Alfozan, a Saudi national and lawful permanent resident in the US, is scheduled to appear in federal court in San Francisco later on Monday.

The case has highlighted security challenges around sensitive AI research as companies and governments compete fiercely for an edge in the transformational technology.

“The defendant went to significant lengths to create customized, encrypted recording devices to secretly record highly sensitive meetings involving senior OpenAI personnel and executives, high-level business counterparts, and government officials, all while communicating with individuals of significance in Saudi Arabia and pursuing opportunities in — and making plans to travel to — Saudi Arabia,” prosecutors wrote in a detention memo.

The Saudi government media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A lawyer for Alfozan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawyer, William Pernik, previously asked for Alfozan to be released from custody, subject to conditions including location monitoring and surrendering his passport, and said Alfozan had spent the last 15 years in the US and had applied to become a citizen.

The lawyer said a planned trip by Alfozan to Saudi Arabia this month was booked before he was under investigation and was for “family and immigration reasons”, according to a court filing.

Investigation remains active

US prosecutors charged Alfozan last week with using an electronic device to intercept oral communications. Alfozan plugged a recording device into the back of a television in an executive conference room at one of OpenAI’s San Francisco buildings, according to a criminal complaint.

Meetings involving government officials took place in the conference room around the time the device was installed, according to the prosecutors’ detention memo.

Prosecutors said the investigation remains active and additional charges could be brought against Alfozan.

A member of the Saudi royal family sought to recruit Alfozan for an AI-focused role in Saudi Arabia, writing in one message, “Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!” Alfozan replied, “100,” according to messages cited by prosecutors.

Before his arrest, Alfozan was scheduled to fly to Riyadh during a planned two-month parental leave. His wife told investigators that she and their son planned to move permanently to Saudi Arabia and that Alfozan eventually intended to join them, according to prosecutors.

In an Arabic-language interview on the Identity Capital podcast last month, Alfozan said that he visits Saudi Arabia three or four times a year, follows developments there and advises or mentors Saudi startups.

He said meeting Prince Mohammed bin Salman, then deputy crown prince, during a 2016 gathering with young Saudi tech workers in Silicon Valley persuaded him to learn at a top tech company before bringing those skills back home.

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

OpenAI previously said it discovered the device on September 30 and referred the matter to the FBI.

Al Jazeera has reached out to the Saudi embassy for comment.

美国联邦检察官指控被告与一位未透露姓名的王室成员频繁接触。

该案例凸显了敏感人工智能研究面临的安全挑战，因为企业和政府都在为争夺这项变革性技术的优势而展开激烈竞争。[图片：Dado Ruvic/插图，来自路透社]

美国检察官在一份法庭文件中表示，一名被控在人工智能公司 OpenAI 的高管会议室安装录音设备的前工程师似乎得到了沙特政府的大力支持。

根据周日晚些时候公布的法庭文件，联邦检察官指控被告阿卜杜勒拉赫曼·阿尔福赞（35岁）与一名未透露姓名的沙特王室成员频繁联系，并且一名沙特军方官员在他被捕后为阿尔福赞的妻子和幼子支付了返回沙特阿拉伯的单程机票。

法国总理表示，巴黎圣日耳曼对阵巴塞罗那的比赛（共4场，此为第1场）不会因抗议活动而取消。

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检方提出上述指控，并请求联邦法官将阿尔福赞继续羁押在美国等待审判，理由是他有潜逃风险。阿尔福赞是沙特公民，也是美国的合法永久居民，他将于周一晚些时候在旧金山联邦法院出庭。

该案例凸显了敏感人工智能研究面临的安全挑战，因为企业和政府都在为在这一变革性技术领域获得优势而展开激烈竞争。

检察官在一份拘留备忘录中写道：“被告不遗余力地制作定制的加密录音设备，秘密录制涉及 OpenAI 高级人员和高管、高级商业伙伴以及政府官员的高度敏感会议，同时还与沙特阿拉伯的重要人物进行沟通，寻求在沙特阿拉伯的机会，并计划前往沙特阿拉伯旅行。”

沙特政府媒体办公室尚未对此事作出回应。阿尔福赞的律师也尚未对此事作出回应。

律师威廉·佩尔尼克此前要求释放阿尔福赞，但条件包括位置监控和交出护照。佩尔尼克表示，阿尔福赞在美国生活了 15 年，并已申请成为美国公民。

律师表示，根据法庭文件，阿尔福赞本月计划前往沙特阿拉伯的行程是在他受到调查之前预订的，目的是“家庭和移民原因”。

调查仍在进行中

美国检方上周指控阿尔福赞使用电子设备窃听口头交流。刑事诉状显示，阿尔福赞将一个录音设备插入OpenAI位于旧金山的一栋办公楼内，一间高管会议室的电视机背面。

根据检察官的拘留备忘录，在安装该装置前后，会议室里曾举行过涉及政府官员的会议。

检察官表示，调查仍在进行中，可能会对阿尔福赞提出更多指控。

据检察官引用的信息显示，一名沙特王室成员试图招募阿尔福赞在沙特阿拉伯担任人工智能相关职位，并在一条信息中写道：“沙特比美国更需要你！”阿尔福赞回复道：“100”。

在被捕前，阿尔福赞原计划利用两个月的陪产假飞往利雅得。据检方称，他的妻子告诉调查人员，她和儿子计划永久移居沙特阿拉伯，阿尔福赞最终也打算与他们团聚。

在上个月接受 Identity Capital 播客的阿拉伯语采访时，阿尔福赞表示，他每年会访问沙特阿拉伯三到四次，关注那里的发展动态，并为沙特初创企业提供建议或指导。

他表示，2016 年在硅谷与年轻的沙特科技工作者聚会时，他遇到了当时的副王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼王子，这让他相信应该先在一家顶尖科技公司学习，然后再将这些技能带回国。

在阿尔福赞于 Facebook 工作期间，他和硅谷的其他沙特人成立了一个咨询机构，将沙特公共和私营部门组织与大数据、物联网和机器学习方面的专业知识联系起来。

OpenAI 此前表示，他们于 9 月 30 日发现了该设备，并将此事移交给了 FBI。

半岛电视台已联系沙特阿拉伯大使馆寻求置评。