{"id":6971,"date":"2026-07-16T13:00:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T13:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/2026\/07\/16\/the-download-openai-unveils-gpt-red-and-heat-pumps-rise-in-the-us\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T13:00:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T13:00:33","slug":"the-download-openai-unveils-gpt-red-and-heat-pumps-rise-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/2026\/07\/16\/the-download-openai-unveils-gpt-red-and-heat-pumps-rise-in-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: OpenAI unveils GPT-Red and heat pumps rise in the US"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is today’s edition of <\/em>The Download<\/em><\/a>, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Meet GPT-Red: an LLM super-hacker OpenAI built to make its models safer<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

OpenAI gave MIT Technology Review<\/em> an exclusive peek into the system. Find out how it could keep the company ahead of human attackers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014Will Douglas Heaven<\/em><\/p>\n

Why heat pumps are still so hot in the US<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2014Casey Crownhart<\/em><\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

The appliances use electricity for heating, they\u2019re incredibly efficient, and they\u2019re on the rise. In the US, their sales have doubled over the past 15 years, according to a new report. They\u2019re also winning the heating race against fossil fuels, outpacing natural-gas furnaces by 32% during the first quarter of 2026. <\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This <\/strong>article<\/strong><\/a> is from The Spark, our weekly climate tech newsletter. <\/strong>Sign up<\/strong><\/a> to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The must-reads<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

1 Elon Musk discreetly bought a $1 billion gas turbine firm to power Grok<\/strong>
He acquired fossil fuel company APR Energy in May. (Electrek<\/a>)
+ The most likely application will be powering AI data centers. <\/em>(Engadget<\/a>)
+ The deal was revealed through an FTC filing.<\/em> (Gizmodo<\/a>)
+ What will power AI\u2019s growth?<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)
 
2 A hack shows the Suno AI music generator scraped YouTube, Deezer<\/strong>
It scraped decades\u2019 worth of music to train its models. (404 Media<\/a>)
+ The hacked is a unique look into the black boxes powering GenAI. <\/em>(CNET<\/a>)
+ AI is coming for music, too.<\/em> (MIT Technology Review<\/a>)
 
3 Thinking Machines has launched an open-weight AI model<\/strong>
Inkling offers a US alternative to China\u2019s open-source models. (Reuters<\/a> $)
+ It\u2019s the first AI model built by Thinking Machines.<\/em> (WSJ<\/a> $)
+ The startup was founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati.<\/em> (Axios<\/a>)
 
4 Europe is narrowing its ambitions for tech independence<\/strong>
Manufacturing and research show promise, but funding is a problem. (NYT<\/a> $)
+ Earnings are strong, but an AI gap persists.<\/em> (Reuters<\/a> $)
+ India is also scrambling for AI independence. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)
 
5 Earth is absorbing energy at a rate that\u2019s alarming climate scientists<\/strong>
The planet is taking in more heat than models predicted. (Economist<\/a> $)
+ The legal case for climate justice is growing. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)
 
6 The AI backlash has tech executives fearing for their lives<\/strong>
Violent threats against AI firms are spilling into the real world. (WSJ<\/a> $)
+ An anti-AI movement is growing globally. <\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)
 
7 A Moroccan intelligence insider exposed widespread Pegasus use<\/strong>
Including to target journalists, activists, and foreign politicians. (Guardian<\/a>)<\/p>\n

8 AI is powering citizen-led disaster relief from afar for Venezuela<\/strong>
It\u2019s helping to locate missing people and coordinate relief. (Rest of World<\/a>)<\/strong>
 
9 Thermodynamic computers could turn noise into useful calculations<\/strong>
They may offer a cooler, more efficient way to process information. (Quanta<\/a>)<\/p>\n

10 An engineer has explained every \u201990s computer in Jurassic Park<\/strong>
Fans have debated the technology in the film for decades. (Ars Technica<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Quote of the day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe hit pause because the communities powering AI should share in its success. Maybe that\u2019s a novel concept in Washington.\u201d <\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u2014New York Gov. Kathy Hochul responds on X<\/a> to President Donald Trump\u2019s criticism of her state\u2019s new data center moratorium.<\/p>\n

One More Thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n


Will we ever trust robots?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Robotics firm Prosper is developing a humanoid called Alfie to perform tasks in homes, hospitals, and hotels. The company\u2019s founder, Shariq Hashme, has identified trustworthiness as the top design priority\u2014and first hurdle to clear before humanoids can live up to their hype.<\/p>\n

Hashme believes one essential tactic to get people to put their trust in Alfie is to build a detailed character from the ground up\u2014something humanlike but not too<\/em> human. But the robot\u2019s reliance on remote human operators raises broader questions about privacy, labour, and whether society will truly accept humanoids in our private spaces.<\/p>\n

Read the full story on the humanoid trust dilemma<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014James O’Donnell<\/em><\/p>\n

We can still have nice things<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? <\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

+ Meet the man behind the world\u2019s most beautiful books<\/a>.
+ 3D printing has revived Roman Britain’s most popular board game<\/a>.
+ \u201cLucha Libro\u201d is an imaginative idea to boost literacy: staging live wrestling matches in US libraries<\/a>.
+ Over 100 years after the death of legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton, the wreck of his final ship has been photographed for the first time<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[67],"class_list":["post-6971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mit-feed","tag-mit-tech"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6971\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoo.central12.com\/portal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}