Summary
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Meet GPT-Red: an LLM super-hacker OpenAI built to make its models safer OpenAI has built an LLM super-hacker called GPT-Red that it uses as a sparring partner to help its other models boost their defenses against cyberattacks. It automates a type of safety evaluation for software systems known as red-teaming, which is typically done by a team of human testers. The aim is to find as many different ways to break or hijack a system as possible. It feels as if it should be illegal to even think about heating appliances during the height of summer, but we need to talk about heat pumps. The appliances use electricity for heating, they’re incredibly efficient, and they’re on the rise. In the US, their sales have doubled over the past 15 years, according to a new report. They’re also winning the heating race against fossil fuels, outpacing natural-gas furnaces by 32% during the first quarter of 2026. These stats are especially striking at this moment, because a key tax credit for heat pumps just ended. So why are heat pumps still so hot? Read the full story for the answer. This article is from The Spark, our weekly climate tech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday. The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Elon Musk discreetly bought a ) + It’s the first AI model built by Thinking Machines. (WSJ ) + Earnings are strong, but an AI gap persists. (Reuters ) + The legal case for climate justice is growing. (MIT Technology Review) 6 The AI backlash has tech executives fearing for their lives Violent threats against AI firms are spilling into the real world. (WSJ $) + An anti-AI movement is growing globally. (MIT Technology Review) 7 A Moroccan intelligence insider exposed widespread Pegasus use Including to target journalists, activists, and foreign politicians. (Guardian) 8 AI is powering citizen-led disaster relief from afar for Venezuela It’s helping to locate missing people and coordinate relief. (Rest of World) 9 Thermodynamic computers could turn noise into useful calculations They may offer a cooler, more efficient way to process information. (Quanta) 10 An engineer has explained every ’90s computer in Jurassic Park Fans have debated the technology in the film for decades. (Ars Technica) Quote of the day “We hit pause because the communities powering AI should share in its success. Maybe that’s a novel concept in Washington.” —New York Gov. Kathy Hochul responds on X to President Donald Trump’s criticism of her state’s new data center moratorium. One More Thing Will we ever trust robots? Robotics firm Prosper is developing a humanoid called Alfie to perform tasks in homes, hospitals, and hotels. The company’s founder, Shariq Hashme, has identified trustworthiness as the top design priority—and first hurdle to clear before humanoids can live up to their hype. Hashme believes one essential tactic to get people to put their trust in Alfie is to build a detailed character from the ground up—something humanlike but not too human. But the robot’s reliance on remote human operators raises broader questions about privacy, labour, and whether society will truly accept humanoids in our private spaces.