OpenAI Deployed Internal AI Tool to Trace Employee Leaks, Report Claims

In a striking revelation about corporate surveillance in the artificial intelligence sector, OpenAI is reportedly using a custom-built, internal version of its ChatGPT model to analyze employee communications and detect potential leaks of sensitive corporate information. According to a report published by the New York Post, the AI firm has deployed this proprietary system to scan internal emails, chat logs, and document access patterns in an effort to pinpoint staffers who may be sharing confidential data with journalists or external parties.

The system, described as a highly restricted variant of ChatGPT not available to the public, is said to be integrated into OpenAI’s internal security infrastructure. It reportedly cross-references metadata from employee activity—such as file downloads, messaging frequency, and access to restricted research models—with external media reports to identify potential sources of leaks. While the company has not officially confirmed the existence of the tool, multiple anonymous sources familiar with internal operations told the Post that the system has already triggered several internal investigations.

This development comes amid heightened scrutiny of corporate transparency in the AI industry. OpenAI, which has faced internal dissent over its leadership, product direction, and safety protocols, has previously experienced high-profile departures and media disclosures, including revelations about safety concerns and model capabilities. The use of AI to surveil employees raises profound ethical questions about the balance between corporate security and individual privacy rights.

Legal experts warn that such surveillance practices may violate labor protections in jurisdictions like California, where employees have strong rights to privacy in digital communications. "Using an AI system trained on proprietary data to infer intent or guilt based on behavioral patterns is a gray area under employment law," said Dr. Elena Ruiz, a labor rights attorney at Stanford Law. "There’s no precedent for an AI model being used as a detective tool against employees, especially when the algorithm’s decision-making process is opaque."

Whistleblower advocates have expressed alarm. "This isn’t just monitoring—it’s predictive policing of dissent," said Kaitlyn Mendez of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "If employees fear that every email or document access could be flagged by an AI trained to spot leaks, the chilling effect on speaking truth to power could be devastating."

OpenAI has not issued a public statement regarding the report. However, a company spokesperson, speaking anonymously under condition of non-attribution, told Reuters that "OpenAI takes the protection of intellectual property and user data seriously and employs a range of security measures to safeguard our systems." The spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the use of an internal AI for employee monitoring.

Meanwhile, employees within the company are reportedly divided. Some engineers and researchers view the tool as a necessary defense against corporate espionage, particularly as competitors and foreign entities increasingly target AI research. Others see it as a betrayal of OpenAI’s founding mission to "ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity," arguing that suppressing internal criticism undermines the very principles of transparency and accountability the company once championed.

The revelation also highlights a broader trend in Silicon Valley: the weaponization of AI tools not just for customer-facing products, but for internal control. Companies like Google and Meta have experimented with AI-driven employee analytics, but OpenAI’s reported use of its own generative AI as an investigative agent marks a significant escalation in the normalization of algorithmic surveillance.

As regulatory bodies in the U.S. and EU begin to grapple with AI governance, this case could become a landmark example in debates over workplace rights, algorithmic accountability, and the ethics of corporate AI. For now, OpenAI’s internal tool remains shrouded in secrecy—its outputs, its criteria, and its human oversight all undisclosed. But one thing is clear: in the race to build the next generation of AI, the most complex system may not be the model—it’s the organization trying to control it.