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OpenAI’s GPT-Red targets red-teaming as heat pumps surge
OpenAI showed off GPT-Red, an automated red-teaming system, as US heat pump sales keep climbing despite a tax credit ending.
Image: MIT Technology Review
OpenAI has unveiled GPT-Red, a system designed to automate red-teaming for software. The process is usually handled by human testers trying to find as many ways as possible to break, misuse, or hijack a system. MIT Technology Review reports that OpenAI gave it an exclusive early look at the tool, which the company hopes could help it stay ahead of human attackers.
The other standout item in the latest The Download is the continued rise of heat pumps in the US. According to a new report, heat pump sales have doubled over the past 15 years. In the first quarter of 2026, they also outpaced natural-gas furnaces by 32%.
That growth stands out because a key tax credit for heat pumps has just ended. Even so, the appliances — which use electricity for heating and are known for high efficiency — continue to gain ground in the US heating market, according to Casey Crownhart.
The newsletter also rounds up a broader set of tech stories from around the web, including:
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FBI eyes Nvidia and Google TPU AI systems
- Elon Musk buying the $1 billion gas turbine company APR Energy, reportedly to help power Grok and potentially AI data centers
- A hack suggesting Suno scraped YouTube and Deezer to train its AI music generator
- Thinking Machines launching Inkling, an open-weight AI model from the startup founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati
- New concerns over Europe’s push for tech independence, climate heating trends, anti-AI threats, Pegasus surveillance, and thermodynamic computing
“We hit pause because the communities powering AI should share in its success. Maybe that’s a novel concept in Washington.”
In the newsletter’s One More Thing section, Prosper is highlighted for its humanoid robot Alfie, aimed at work in homes, hospitals, and hotels. Founder Shariq Hashme says trustworthiness is the top design priority, but the robot’s use of remote human operators raises thorny questions around privacy, labor, and whether people will accept humanoids in private spaces.
Enterprise Editor
Marcus follows the money. He covers enterprise software, cloud architecture, and the tectonic shifts in Big Tech strategy. He translates dense earnings calls and complex M&A activity into actionable insights about where the industry is actually heading. If a tech giant makes a silent pivot, Marcus is usually the first to notice.
