The Download: OpenAI unveils GPT-Red and heat pumps rise in the US

OpenAI has built GPT-Red, an LLM super-hacker that automates red-teaming to improve the safety of its AI models. Meanwhile, heat pump sales in the US have doubled over the past 15 years and outpaced natural-gas furnaces by 32% in early 2026, despite the expiration of a key tax credit. Elon Musk discreetly acquired gas turbine firm APR Energy for $1 billion in May to power his AI company Grok.

The Download: OpenAI unveils GPT-Red and heat pumps rise in the US Plus: Elon Musk discreetly bought a $1 billion gas turbine firm to power Grok. This is today's edition of The Download https://forms.technologyreview.com/newsletters/briefing-the-download/? ga=2.179569122.736533416.1649661040-405833893.1649413289 , 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. OpenAI gave MIT Technology Review an exclusive peek into the system. Find out how it could keep the company ahead of human attackers https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/15/1140514/meet-gpt-red-an-llm-super-hacker-openai-built-to-make-its-models-safer/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —Will Douglas Heaven Why heat pumps are still so hot in the US —Casey Crownhart 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 https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/16/1140505/heat-pump-sales-us/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . 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 $1 billion gas turbine firm to power Grok He acquired fossil fuel company APR Energy in May. Electrek https://electrek.co/2026/07/14/musk-buys-gas-turbine-company-apr-energy-grok/ + The most likely application will be powering AI data centers. Engadget https://www.engadget.com/2216186/elon-musk-bought-a-gas-turbine-company/ + The deal was revealed through an FTC filing. Gizmodo https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-quietly-bought-a-medium-sized-fossil-fuel-energy-company-back-in-may-2000786231 + What will power AI’s growth? MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/29/1117500/ai-energy-growth-nuclear-natural-gas/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 2 A hack shows the Suno AI music generator scraped YouTube, Deezer It scraped decades’ worth of music to train its models. 404 Media https://www.404media.co/hack-reveals-suno-ai-music-generator-scraped-youtube-deezer-and-genius/ + The hacked is a unique look into the black boxes powering GenAI. CNET https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/suno-ai-music-source-code-hack-training-news/ + AI is coming for music, too. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/04/16/1114433/ai-artificial-intelligence-music-diffusion-creativity-songs-writer/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 3 Thinking Machines has launched an open-weight AI model Inkling offers a US alternative to China’s open-source models. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/business/ai-startup-thinking-machines-launches-an-open-weight-ai-model-2026-07-15/ $ + It’s the first AI model built by Thinking Machines. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/mira-muratis-ai-startup-releases-first-model-in-bid-to-loosen-ai-giants-grip-e042bb2b?mod=rss Technology $ + The startup was founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati. Axios https://www.axios.com/2026/07/15/mira-murati-thinking-machines-open-weight-model-inkling 4 Europe is narrowing its ambitions for tech independence Manufacturing and research show promise, but funding is a problem. NYT https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/16/world/europe/digital-autonomy-ai.html $ + Earnings are strong, but an AI gap persists. Reuters https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/europe-inc-heads-into-strongest-earnings-season-years-ai-gap-persists-2026-07-16/ $ + India is also scrambling for AI independence. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/07/04/1119705/inside-indias-scramble-for-ai-independence/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 5 Earth is absorbing energy at a rate that’s alarming climate scientists The planet is taking in more heat than models predicted. Economist https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/07/15/the-rate-at-which-earth-is-absorbing-energy-is-alarming-climate-scientists $ + The legal case for climate justice is growing. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/02/19/1132877/legal-climate-justice/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 6 The AI backlash has tech executives fearing for their lives Violent threats against AI firms are spilling into the real world. WSJ https://www.wsj.com/us-news/the-ai-backlash-has-tech-executives-fearing-for-their-lives-30c43972?mod=rss Technology $ + An anti-AI movement is growing globally. MIT Technology Review https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/04/21/1135665/resistance-ai-artificial-intelligence-backlash-protests/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C 7 A Moroccan intelligence insider exposed widespread Pegasus use Including to target journalists, activists, and foreign politicians. Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/jul/16/morocco-intelligence-insider-reveals-widespread-use-hacking-software-pegasus 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 https://restofworld.org/2026/venezuela-ai-citizen-disaster-response/ 9 Thermodynamic computers could turn noise into useful calculations They may offer a cooler, more efficient way to process information. Quanta https://www.quantamagazine.org/thermodynamic-computers-go-with-the-energy-flow-20260715/ 10 An engineer has explained every ’90s computer in Jurassic Park Fans have debated the technology in the film for decades. Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/07/engineer-identifies-and-explains-every-90s-computer-seen-in-jurassic-park/ 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 https://x.com/GovKathyHochul/status/2077461974057730204 to President Donald Trump’s criticism of her state’s new data center moratorium. One More Thing Will we ever trust robots? 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. Read the full story on the humanoid trust dilemma https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/12/23/1108466/general-purpose-robots-humanoids-ai-remote-assistants/?utm source=the download&utm medium=email&utm campaign=the download.unpaid.engagement&utm term= %7CSUBCLASS%7C &utm content= %7CDATE:m-d-Y%7C . —James O'Donnell We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun, and distraction to brighten up your day. Got any ideas? Drop me a line . + Meet the man behind the world’s most beautiful books https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tIk4CZbJV4 . + 3D printing has revived Roman Britain's most popular board game https://from.ncl.ac.uk/how-3d-printing-revived-roman-britains-most-popular-board-game . + “Lucha Libro” is an imaginative idea to boost literacy: staging live wrestling matches in US libraries https://www.instagram.com/p/DZQziVUjGbz/?utm source=ig embed&ig rid=AKv2wcY2rk5w040eMOehtKa . + Over 100 years after the death of legendary explorer Ernest Shackleton, the wreck of his final ship has been photographed for the first time https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/07/expedition-captures-first-images-of-shackletons-last-ship/ . Deep Dive The Download The Download: Claude’s inner workings and OpenAI’s “super app” Plus: OpenAI has unveiled its long-awaited "super app." The Download: the future of chipmaking and Anthropic’s government clash Plus: Meta is pausing an AI training program that tracks workers’ keystrokes. The Download: AI hacking beyond Mythos, and chatbots’ impact on our brains Plus: Anthropic has called for a global slowdown in AI development. The Download: a reality check for geoengineering and the science of interoception Plus: SpaceX is now valued higher than Amazon. Stay connected Get the latest updates from MIT Technology Review Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.