September 17, 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

The fix for rogue AI agents could be more AI: As companies hand off longer and more complex tasks to AI agents, they are running into an oversight problem: Agents can act faster, longer, and at greater volume than humans can realistically review. Read More

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Afternoon Must-Reads

Rival AI agents, Instinct and Meta's Muse, both add the ability to make calls: People can use these assistants to make restaurant reservations and cancel subscriptions. Read More

UN turns to Google to make its global data ready for AI agents: The shift comes after a UNICEF test found leading AI models struggled to accurately retrieve global development statistics. Read More

Google, Nvidia, and Anthropic want Emerald AI to find space on the grid for more data centers: A new coalition that includes Google, Nvidia, Anthropic, and Emerald AI wants to find 100 GW of grid capacity for new data centers. Read More

Is the AI safety debate about safety or control?: Not everyone agrees with Amodei's call for globally coordinated action for AI safety. Read More

Huawei plans Q1 2027 launch of new AI chip as it takes on Nvidia: Huawei is accelerating the launch of its next-generation Ascend 960DT AI chip as it pushes to compete with Nvidia and close China’s AI computing gap with the U.S. Read More

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Last but Not Least

I tried Tovala's smart oven for two weeks — here's whether it beats takeout: Tovala offers both a smart oven and a meal-delivery service. Its meals come with QR codes that you scan using the app, allowing the oven to automatically follow the cooking instructions. Read More

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