Ex-OpenAI worker accused of planting device had Saudi support says court filing

A Saudi national charged with secretly planting a recording device in one of OpenAI's meeting rooms has been accused of having "considerable support" from the Saudi government, according to a court filing, external in California.

US prosecutors claimed Abdulrahman Alfozan, who worked for the AI firm, was in "frequent communication... with a member of the Saudi royal family", and say a member of the country's military paid for a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia for his wife and son after his arrest.

It was argued the 35-year-old engineer therefore posed a flight risk and should be detained, pending trial.

The Saudi government did not immediately respond to BBC requests for comment.

Alfozan had worked at OpenAI for around a year before he allegedly made his attempt to plant an audio recorder.