内容来源：https://www.wired.com/story/an-openai-employee-allegedly-used-a-chatbot-to-help-plant-a-recording-device-at-the-office/

内容总结：

OpenAI一名工程师涉嫌在公司会议室隐蔽安装录音设备，已被美国联邦检方起诉。据周二解封的刑事起诉书显示，35岁的沙特阿拉伯籍美国永久居民阿卜杜勒拉赫曼·阿尔福赞（Abdulrahman Alfozan）涉嫌将录音装置藏于纸巾中，并固定在旧金山办公室一间高管会议室显示器后方。

检方称，阿尔福赞在数周内反复查询某“生产力代理”和“AI聊天机器人”，以策划其所谓的监控行动，并通过OpenAI内部工具查询目标会议室的会议安排。他还疑似使用与其配偶关联的聊天机器人账号，咨询有关设置隐蔽录音设备的技术问题。OpenAI安全团队还在其办公室包内发现另一台尚未安装的录音设备。

阿尔福赞于周二在旧金山联邦地区法院首次出庭，面临一项“使用电子、机械或其他设备截取口头通信”的指控。若罪名成立，最高可判处五年监禁。他于2025年7月入职OpenAI，上周五被解雇，与逮捕同步进行。

FBI局长卡什·帕特尔在声明中称，阿尔福赞意图“秘密获取有关该公司超级智能技术的敏感通信”，但检方和OpenAI迄今均未提供有关潜在动机的信息。OpenAI在X平台发表声明称：“目前，我们没有迹象表明此人曾不当访问或窃取模型权重、源代码或客户数据。我们严肃对待保护公司技术、数据和人员的安全，并将其视为国家层面的重要事项。”

OpenAI于9月30日在一次反监控排查中发现该设备。起诉书称，该设备“藏于纸巾中”，并被“插入会议室电视背面的USB接口”。OpenAI称该录音装置“手法复杂”。当局称，阿尔福赞安装的设备名为Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense，“是一块拇指大小的开发板，配有可拆卸摄像头传感器、数字麦克风和microSD存储卡”，目前在该公司官网售价13.99美元。OpenAI安全团队试图导出microSD卡中的数据，但因数据已加密而无法查看。

OpenAI表示，发现该设备后已通知FBI，并通过审查聊天记录和监控录像，以及搜查其留在办公室的包，将其与阿尔福赞关联。公司随后在调查期间逐步取消了他对公司系统的访问权限。

起诉书称，10月5日，OpenAI安全人员在打印室发现阿尔福赞遗留的包，包内含有第二台加密的Seeed录音设备及与阿尔福赞有关的个人物品，包括其钱包。检方称，阿尔福赞后来向OpenAI报告包丢失，并从公司失物招领处取回。他还向OpenAI未具名人员表示，包内应有的一些物品仍然缺失，包括一张信用卡、约500美元现金和两副AirPods，但未提及已被OpenAI安全人员从包中取走的第二台录音设备。

据一份据称属于阿尔福赞的领英资料显示，他此前曾在一家货运物流初创公司和Meta工作。在最近一次播客采访中，阿尔福赞称自己也是硅谷一个沙特工程师团体的成员，该团体向沙特机构提供咨询服务。该领英资料还显示，阿尔福赞是沙特风投公司RAED Ventures的兼职“风险合伙人”。RAED Ventures和Meta均未立即回应WIRED的置评请求。

去年，特朗普政府与沙特阿拉伯签署协议，授予该国获取先进芯片和AI技术的权限，而这些技术原本可能因国家安全担忧受到限制。沙特投资机构仍是美国科技公司的重要资金来源。

起诉书称，阿尔福赞“不晚于2026年9月28日左右”安装了该窃听设备。他所针对的会议室“仅限高管和高管助理预订”，通常用于“内部领导层会议”“技术和产品会议”以及与商业伙伴和政府官员的“外部简报”。起诉书指出，该会议室经常用于讨论“高度机密”信息，涉及研究、产品、商业战略和政府关系等。

目前，阿尔福赞暂未就此置评。

中文翻译：

根据周二解封的一份刑事起诉书，OpenAI一名工程师涉嫌将录音设备藏在一卷卫生纸中，并把它粘在公司旧金山某办公室一间高管会议室内的显示器背面。

联邦检察官称，现年35岁的阿卜杜勒拉赫曼·阿尔福赞是沙特阿拉伯籍美国永久居民。他涉嫌花费数周时间反复询问一个未具名的“生产力代理”和一个“AI聊天机器人”，以策划其所谓的监控行动。他还利用OpenAI的内部工具查询目标会议室的预定会议安排。

检方和法庭文件显示，他似乎还使用了一个与其配偶关联的聊天机器人账户，就如何设置隐蔽录音设备询问了各种技术问题。

据称，OpenAI安全团队还在办公室内阿尔福赞的包里发现了一个尚未安装的额外录音设备。

记者未能立即联系到阿尔福赞置评。周二，他在旧金山美国联邦地区法院首次出庭，面临一项“使用电子、机械或其他设备拦截口头通信”的指控。若罪名成立，阿尔福赞将面临最高五年监禁。他于2025年7月加入OpenAI，上周五被解雇，时间与其被捕同步。

联邦调查局局长卡什·帕特尔在一份声明中表示，阿尔福赞的目的是“秘密获取有关该公司超级智能技术的敏感通信”，但检方和OpenAI迄今均未提供任何关于潜在动机的信息。

OpenAI在X平台上的一份声明中表示：“目前，我们没有迹象表明该个人不当访问或窃取了模型权重、源代码或客户数据。我们严肃对待保护我们的技术、数据和人员，并将其视为国家安全事务。”

OpenAI于9月30日在一次反监控扫查中发现了该设备——据称该设备“被藏在卫生纸中”并“插入会议室电视背面的USB端口”。

根据一份据称属于阿尔福赞的领英个人资料，他曾在一家货运物流初创公司和Meta工作过。在最近一次播客采访中，阿尔福赞表示，他还是硅谷一个沙特工程师团体的成员，该团体向沙特相关组织提供咨询服务。

该领英资料显示阿尔福赞是RAED Ventures的兼职“风险合伙人”，这是一家总部位于沙特阿拉伯的风险投资公司。RAED Ventures和Meta均未立即回应《连线》杂志的置评请求。

去年，特朗普政府与沙特阿拉伯签署了一项协议，授予该国获取先进芯片和AI技术的权限，而这些技术原本可能因国家安全顾虑而受到限制。沙特投资公司仍是美国科技公司的主要资金来源之一。

仅限高管

根据起诉书，阿尔福赞据称“不晚于2026年9月28日前后”安放了该窃听设备。

起诉书称，阿尔福赞锁定的会议室“仅限高管和高管助理预定”，通常用于“内部领导会议”、“技术和产品会议”以及与商业伙伴和政府官员的“外部简报会”。起诉书指出，该会议室经常用于涉及“高度机密”信息的讨论，包括研究、产品、商业战略和政府关系等方面。

OpenAI的声明称该录音设备“精密复杂”。当局称，阿尔福赞安放的设备名为Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense，“是一块拇指大小的开发板，配有可拆卸摄像头传感器、数字麦克风和microSD存储卡”。该产品目前在Seeed官网零售价为13.99美元。OpenAI安全团队试图导出microSD卡中存储的数据，但因数据已加密而无法查看。

OpenAI表示，发现该设备后，公司通知了FBI，并通过审查聊天记录和监控录像，以及搜查阿尔福赞留在办公室的无人看管的包，将其与该设备关联起来。随后，随着调查的进行，公司逐步取消了他对公司系统的访问权限。

根据起诉书，OpenAI安全人员于10月5日发现了阿尔福赞留在打印机房无人看管的包。安全团队检查了该包，里面装有第二个加密的Seeed窃听设备以及与阿尔福赞相关的其他个人物品，包括他的钱包。检方称，阿尔福赞后来向OpenAI报告该包丢失，随后从公司失物招领处取回。

他随后向OpenAI未具名的工作人员跟进表示，包里本应装有的一些物品仍然缺失——包括一张信用卡、约500美元现金和两副AirPods——但未提及那第二个窃听设备，该设备已被OpenAI安全部门从包中取出。

评论

返回顶部

英文来源：

An engineer at OpenAI allegedly concealed an audio recording device in a piece of toilet paper and attached it behind a monitor inside an executive conference room at one of the company’s San Francisco offices, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday.
Abdulrahman Alfozan, who federal prosecutors describe as a 35-year-old Saudi Arabian national and US permanent resident, allegedly spent several weeks querying an unspecified “productivity agent” and an “AI chatbot” to plan his alleged surveillance operation. He used an internal OpenAI tool to ask about meetings scheduled in the targeted conference room.
He also appears to have used a chatbot account associated with his spouse to ask various technical questions about setting up a covert audio recording device, according to prosecutors and the court filing.
OpenAI’s security team also allegedly found an additional recording device that had not been installed in Alfozan’s bag at the office.
Alfozan couldn’t be immediately reached for comment. He made an initial appearance in US district court in San Francisco on Tuesday on one charge of “use of an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications.” If convicted, Alfozan faces up to five years in prison. He joined OpenAI in July 2025 and was fired last Friday to coincide with his arrest.
Federal Bureau of Investigation director Kash Patel said in a statement that Alfozan aimed “to secretly capture sensitive communications about the company’s super intelligence technology,” but prosecutors nor OpenAI have offered any information so far about a potential motive.
“At this time, we have no indications of this individual inappropriately accessing or exfiltrating model weights, source code, or customer data,” OpenAI said in a statement on X. “We take protecting our technology, data, and people seriously, and as a matter of national importance.”
OpenAI discovered the bug—which was allegedly “concealed in toilet paper” and “inserted into a USB port on the back of a television” in the conference room—on September 30 during a countersurveillance sweep.
Alfozan previously worked at a cargo logistics startup and at Meta, according to a purported LinkedIn profile for him. In a recent podcast interview, Alfozan said he was also part of a group of Saudi engineers in Silicon Valley who offered consulting services to Saudi organizations.
The LinkedIn profile lists Alfozan as a part-time “venture partner” at RAED Ventures, a venture capital firm based in Saudi Arabia. Neither RAED Ventures nor Meta immediately responded to WIRED’s request for comment.
Last year, the Trump administration signed a pact with Saudi Arabia granting the kingdom access to advanced chips and AI technologies that might otherwise be restricted over national security concerns. Saudi investment firms remain a major source of capital for US tech companies.
Executives Only
According to the complaint, Alfozan allegedly planted the listening device “no later than on or about September 28, 2026.”
The conference room Alfozan targeted “can be reserved only by executives and executive assistants,” and is typically used “for internal leadership meetings,” “technical and product sessions,” and “external briefings” with business partners and government officials, according to the complaint. It is frequently used for discussions involving “highly confidential” information, including about research, products, business strategy, and government relationships, the complaint stated.
OpenAI’s statement called the recording device “sophisticated.” Authorities allege that the device Alfozan planted was called Seeed XIAO ESP32-S3 Sense, “a thumb-sized development board with a detachable camera sensor, digital microphone, and microSD storage.” It currently retails on Seeed’s website for $13.99. OpenAI’s security team tried to export the data stored on the microSD card, but were unable to review it because it was encrypted.
After discovering the device, OpenAI says it notified the FBI and was able to connect it to Alfozan after reviewing chat logs and surveillance footage, and searching a bag he left unattended at the office. The company then gradually disabled his access to company systems as the investigation was ongoing.
According to the complaint, OpenAI security personnel discovered the bag that Alfozan left unattended in a printer room on October 5. The security team went through the bag, which contained a second encrypted Seeed listening device and other personal items connected to Alfozan, including his wallet. Prosecutors say Alfozan later reported the bag as missing to OpenAI and subsequently recovered it from the company’s lost and found.
He followed up with unnamed personnel at OpenAI to say that some of the items that were supposed to be in the bag were still missing—including a credit card, about $500 in cash, and two AirPods—but neglected to mention the second listening device, which had been removed from the bag by OpenAI security.
Comments
Back to top