OpenAI tightens the screws on security to keep away prying eyes

OpenAI has reportedly overhauled its security operations to protect against corporate espionage. According to the Financial Times, the company accelerated an existing security clampdown after Chinese startup DeepSeek released a competing model in January, with OpenAI alleging that DeepSeek improperly copied its models using “distillation” techniques.

The beefed-up security includes “information tenting” policies that limit staff access to sensitive algorithms and new products, the report said. For example, during development of OpenAI’s o1 model, only verified team members who had been read into the project could discuss it in shared office spaces, according to the FT.

There’s more. OpenAI now isolates proprietary technology in offline computers, implements biometric access controls for office areas (by scanning employees’ fingerprints), and maintains a “deny-by-default” internet policy, requiring explicit approval for external connections, the FT report said.

The company has reportedly also increased physical security at data centers and expanded its cybersecurity personnel.

The changes are said to reflect broader concerns about foreign adversaries attempting to steal OpenAI’s intellectual property. But given the ongoing poaching wars amid American AI companies and increasingly frequent leaks of CEO Sam Altman’s comments, OpenAI may be attempting to address internal security issues, too.

We’ve reached out to OpenAI for comment.