TechCrunch Top 3

Inertia co-founder Jeff Lawson’s next big bet is fusion: Go inside it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Inertia co-founder and CEO Jeff Lawson joins the Smart Systems Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026. Register now to save up to $200 by September 25. Read More

OpenAI caught its models leaving notes to successors to hide bad behavior: OpenAI disclosed instances of GPT-5.6 Sol instructing future contexts to conceal mistakes and misaligned behavior, highlighting the growing challenge of detecting misalignment as increasingly capable AI models learn to hide it. Read More

Microsoft exec called AI scraping ‘the largest theft of labor in human history,' new unredacted filings reveal: Newly unsealed court filings show Microsoft privately called OpenAI's data practices "theft" while both companies scraped paywalled Times content, built datasets from it, and warned internally it would gut publishers. Read More

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Morning Must-Reads

Researchers used Anthropic's Claude to hack into OpenAI: Security researchers used Anthropic’s Claude to exploit vulnerabilities in OpenAI’s systems, taking over employee accounts and gaining access to an internal code repository before reporting the flaws. Read More

PrismML hopes its tiny LLM will change how we all use AI: If AI lab PrismML isn't on your radar yet, it should be. Read More

Khosla-backed Mazama Energy just raised $135M to drill deeper into superhot-rock geothermal: Geothermal startup Mazama is drilling three miles underground to tap superhot rock, with one well capable of generating 15 MW of electricity 24/7. Read More

The FAA's plan to fix air traffic? $875M worth of AI: A new AI-based software program is being launched to help air traffic controllers better navigate their jobs as the crossing guards of America's skies. Read More

Crusoe raises $3.9B to build massive data centers and small modular 'AI factories': The round values the data center giant at $30.9 billion. Read More

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Last but Not Least

Google DeepMind launches institute to widen the AGI debate: The new institute aims to surface differing views between Google, Google DeepMind, and the broader global research community around AGI. "They will not always agree, and they will likely change their minds, as more data and information comes to light at the fast-moving frontier." Read More