Foreign workers at AI firms pose national security risk, advocates warn

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 22:09 · Archive

Tech advocacy groups warn that foreign nationals working at AI companies like OpenAI lack adequate federal oversight.

Tech advocacy groups are warning that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, combined with a lack of federal oversight for foreign nationals employed at AI firms such as OpenAI and Google, poses a national security threat. Amy Kremer, chair of Humans First, a group focused on establishing democratic oversight and safety protocols for artificial intelligence, said AI technology has virtually no federal guardrails compared to other tech sectors.

Kremer told Fox News Digital that foreign adversaries do not need to steal entire AI models to cause harm. 'You can just find out what they're working on, who their partners are, and who their adversaries are. That is not the kind of thing that we need getting out,' she said. She added that if America wants to maintain an AI advantage, national security must be placed at the top of priorities.

Kremer's concerns come as AI continues to expand, even as many Americans and lawmakers remain wary of the fast-moving industry. In early October, an engineer at OpenAI was arrested after allegedly planting a recording device inside a conference room at the company's San Francisco office. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, a Saudi Arabian citizen, allegedly researched how to construct a recording device and where to place it inside OpenAI, eventually concealing a customized audio recorder behind a television in an executive conference room in late September, according to the Justice Department. Searches of his home and electronic devices uncovered similar components and photographs that appeared to show reconnaissance of other locations inside OpenAI, including another conference room used for sensitive meetings.

How it is being reported

• Influx of foreign workers at AI firms poses ‘national security threat,’ advocates warnHumans First chair Amy Kremer says sensitive information at firms like OpenAI could be exploited by foreign adversaries.New York Post · 30 Oct, 21:48
• Unvetted foreign workers at AI firms raise national security alarms, advocates warnTech advocacy groups warn that foreign nationals at AI companies like OpenAI and Google pose a national security threat amid a lack of federal oversight.Fox News · 30 Oct, 19:04

In this story: OpenAI · Google · Amy Kremer · Humans First · Abdulrahman Alfozan · San Francisco · Saudi Arabia

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log