{"text":[[{"start":7.7,"text":"Abdulrahman Alfozan, the Saudi Arabian ex-OpenAI employee accused of spying on the AI lab, has pleaded not guilty to US charges after being arrested last month in an FBI probe."}],[{"start":19.74,"text":"The former OpenAI engineer was detained after the ChatGPT maker found a recording device wrapped in toilet paper and hidden behind a television in one of the executive conference rooms at its San Francisco headquarters."}],[{"start":32.28,"text":"The case has further heightened concerns that leading US AI companies are targets for international espionage seeking to access advanced technology and trade secrets."}],[{"start":42,"text":"The FBI claims Alfozan placed the bug at OpenAI’s office around September 28, where it was discovered by the start-up’s security team. They say he had used a “productivity agent” to look up a meeting room executives used for high-level confidential discussions, where the bug was later found."}],[{"start":57.52,"text":"Prosecutors have said he had “frequent” contact on WhatsApp with an unnamed member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family since at least last year and enjoyed “considerable support from a foreign government”."}],[{"start":70.44,"text":"Alfozan entered his not guilty plea on Friday in a busy courtroom wearing an orange jumpsuit. He briefly waved and smiled to the public gallery as he was brought into the room."}],[{"start":80.6,"text":"If convicted, Alfozan could face a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison, as well as a $250,000 fine, for one count of illegally intercepting communications. The federal judge has set the next hearing in the case for November 17."}],[{"start":95.36,"text":"OpenAI has said there is no indication that customer data, source code or the “weights” that determine how its systems operate have been stolen."}],[{"start":103.744,"text":"US AI companies have stepped up their security and screening of employees over concerns of industrial espionage from foreign nations. On Thursday, three senior Republicans in the US House of Representatives called on Jensen Huang, chief executive of AI chip group Nvidia, to brief their committees after reports he was targeted by a Chinese espionage operation."}],[{"start":123.92,"text":"Alfozan, an engineer at OpenAI since last year, has been a permanent legal resident of the US since 2020. He has also been listed as a venture partner at Riyadh-based Raed Ventures."}],[{"start":135.36,"text":"Alfozan was a recognisable figure at tech events in Silicon Valley and a documentary on him had previously aired on Saudi Arabian TV. Before joining OpenAI, he had worked at Facebook and founded a logistics start-up, Nash."}],[{"start":150.88,"text":"According to court documents, Alfozan had booked a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia with his wife and another family member for three days after the date he was arrested."}],[{"start":160.72,"text":"An AI chatbot associated with Alfozan’s spouse had meanwhile been used to look up how to build a USB-based recording device, the US justice department’s complaint said. Alfozan was also shown entering the conference room in CCTV recordings."}],[{"start":177.8,"text":"William Pernik, Alfozan’s lawyer, has previously said the alleged activity is “totally out of character for him” and that his defence will “relentlessly investigate all evidence produced by the government in this case to understand what actually happened”."}],[{"start":197.74,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1794018606_2140.mp3"}