September 19, 2026

TechCrunch Top 3

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

Clean tech startup Fluxnium found a way to tap 50,000 years' worth of nuclear fuel: Fluxnium's fibers can extract uranium directly from seawater, which has enough of the nuclear fuel to power thousands of generations. Read More

A message from TechCrunch Events

Savings of up to $200 to Disrupt end Sept 25

Secure your discounted pass by Sept 25 before prices increase. Join 10,000+ founders, investors, operators and innovators in San Francisco for three days of connections, insights and deal flow. 250+ speakers leading 200+ sessions across six industry stages. Matchmaking and countless networking opportunities to blast your startup forward.

This Week's Must-Reads

A new kind of AI model from a ChatGPT inventor is thrilling developers: Jev, a new kind of AI model, is showing developers a cheaper and faster path to software intelligence. Read More

Google's new 'CC' is an AI agent that helps families run their households: Google is refocusing its CC AI agent on household coordination, letting families share emails, schedules, and tasks so the AI can manage calendars, fill out forms, make shopping lists, plan meals, and more. Read More

A startup that builds other startups raised $100M and is all-in on physical AI: UP.Labs, now doing business under the name Vantora, is building startups for industrial corporations. Read More

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

Anthropic's first embedded evaluator is … Accenture?: Accenture is about to take on its most high-risk consulting engagement ever. Read More

A message from Invest Hong Kong

Asia’s #1 Fintech Center Welcomes U.S. Fintechs to HONG KONG

Hong Kong – Asia’s Fintech capital, Innovation Hub to the Greater Bay Area and gateway to the Chinese Mainland – invites U.S. Fintechs to join a U.S. delegation for Hong Kong FinTech Week 2026, November 2–6. Access a curated program, meet key players in Hong Kong’s fintech ecosystem and discover how YOU can grow YOUR Fintech in Asia’s World City!

More Information Here

Last but Not Least

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

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