OpenAI has been using a special version of ChatGPT to sniff out employees who leak confidential company information, according to a report.
When a news article including internal company information is published, security personnel at OpenAI – the artificial intelligence giant led by Sam Altman – run the stories through a custom version of ChatGPT, the Information reported, citing a source with knowledge of the matter.
The chatbot has access to internal company documents, Slack channels and email messages between employees, according to the report.
It uses these files to identify specific documents or messages that contain the leaked information, and then spits out which employees at the company have access to those documents – suggesting the identity of the leaker, according to the report.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
It’s unclear if the tech giant has actually caught any leakers this way.
OpenAI has fired researchers in the past for allegedly leaking internal information outside the company.
Tech giants like Apple and Tesla have enforced strict policies to clamp down on leaks as they fear competitors getting their hands on intellectual property.
AI firms like OpenAI and Anthropic have strict whistleblower protections in place for that reason.
Leaders in the tech sector have been especially fearful of Chinese rivals getting their hands on proprietary information and pulling ahead in the AI race.
The Biden administration placed strict curbs on exports of US chips to China and the United Arab Emirates, targeting the latter country over fears it could be a conduit for shipments to China.
Last year, the Trump administration allowed the UAE access to 500,000 of the most advanced AI chips each – just a few days after an Abu Dhabi royal known as the “spy sheikh” bought a massive stake in the Trump family’s crypto firm, according to The Wall Street Journal.
President Trump later announced the US government will allow Nvidia to export its H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, collecting a fee for each chip.
