The Big Four, tracked.
The live wire from the labs, refreshed every 15 minutes. Our verified read on the big launches lives in Phantom Notes.
§ Lab spotlight
AnthropicSEP 02, 2026 ↗Claude's new system prompt really doesn't want to reproduce song lyricsAnthropic publish the system prompts for their Claude consumer applications (Claude.ai and the Claude mobile apps - sadly not for Claude Cowork or Claude Code). I love that they do this, and that they...OpenAISEP 02, 2026 ↗US government sides with OpenAI on issue of training LLMs on copyrighted material"The United States has a strong interest in continuing to develop a robust and competitive
artificial intelligence industry that sets the standard for the practice and procedure of AI use
globally," t...Google DeepMindSEP 02, 2026 ↗Proactive cyber defense for governments and enterprisesxAIAUG 31, 2026 ↗The Pentagon now has its own version of ChatGPT and GrokVersions of OpenAI's ChatGPT and SpaceXAI's Grok will join Google's Gemini on the Pentagon's central portal for AI tools.
§ Our verified coverageAll of Phantom Notes →
AUG 15, 2026Gemini 3.7 Flash Is Smarter and Half Price. Read the Fine Print on Both.→JUL 24, 2026Kimi K3: The Largest Open Model Ever Does Not Exist Yet. It Is Due Monday.→JUL 22, 2026Meta Killed Llama in April. Now It Wants You to Rent Muse Spark Instead.→JUL 21, 2026Gemini 3.6 Flash Is Not Smarter Than 3.5. Google Says That Is the Point.→JUN 27, 2026OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol Is Its Best Model Yet. You Cannot Use It Yet, and That Is the Story.→
§ The full wire· 76 items
SEP 02, 2026Real-Time Intelligence with IBM Time Series Models on ConfluentHugging Face · model↗SEP 02, 2026Pangram’s Max Spero on why AI detection is harder than ‘Real or Fake’The internet has a trust problem, and it’s not just because social media feeds are filling up with AI slop. AI-generated text and images are now making their way into job applications, product reviews...TechCrunch · image↗SEP 02, 2026We’re ‘dangerously close’ to dead internet theory, says Pangram’s CEOThe internet has a trust problem, and it’s not just because social media feeds are filling up with AI slop. AI-generated text and images are now making their way into job applications, product reviews...TechCrunch · image↗SEP 02, 2026Introducing Gemini 3.8 Flash and 3.8 Flash CyberGoogle DeepMind · model↗SEP 02, 2026Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI Unveil Cyber AI Models, Safeguards, and Access ProgramsGoogle on Wednesday announced Gemini 3.8 Flash Cyber, which it described as its most capable cybersecurity model, and has made it available to a set of trusted defenders via a new initiative called th...OpenAI · model↗SEP 02, 2026Fake Software Installers Disable Windows Update and Weaken Microsoft DefenderAn active malware campaign is using bogus software-download websites to impersonate trusted vendors and distribute malicious installers.
"The campaign has targeted users looking to download popular s...The Hacker News · security↗SEP 02, 2026Wonderful more than doubles its valuation to $5B in under 6 monthsWonderful said it will use its $550 million Series C funding to develop products faster, expand its FDE teams, and meet demand for its products.TechCrunch · industry↗SEP 02, 2026India’s richest man now wants to turn aging computers into AI-ready PCsJio is betting it can turn an aging computer into an AI-ready PC for as little as about $11 for two months.TechCrunch · industry↗SEP 02, 2026llm-gemini 0.34Release: llm-gemini 0.34
New model gemini-3.8-flash for Gemini 3.8 Flash, with low, medium and high thinking levels. #146
Fixed async responses failing to record the resolved model version. ...Google DeepMind · model↗SEP 02, 2026Researchers Use Claude to Port Pre-Auth RCE Exploit From One PLC Model to AnotherForescout Research - Vedere Labs said it used Anthropic's Claude to port a working pre-authentication remote code execution (RCE) exploit from one WAGO programmable logic controller (PLC) to another, ...Anthropic · model↗SEP 02, 2026Attackers Exploit Critical Switchvox Flaw to Deploy Reverse Shells Without CredentialsThreat actors are exploiting a severe security vulnerability in Sangoma Switchvox, an enterprise VoIP platform, that could allow unauthenticated remote code execution.
The vulnerability in question i...The Hacker News · coding↗SEP 02, 2026Authorities Turn Sality's P2P Network Against Itself, Cutting Off New Malware PayloadsThe U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Tuesday announced the takedown of a long-standing peer-to-peer (P2P) botnet known as Sality as part of a coordinated law enforcement operation.
The effort was ...The Hacker News · security↗SEP 02, 2026Quoting Rick BrewsterDirect2D has always been the biggest hurdle for Paint.NET on WINE, and it's clear that it will never be completed enough for Paint.NET's use. And I can't just "disable" the use of Direct2D. So, instea...Simon Willison · industry↗SEP 02, 2026Attackers Exploit Two SonicWall SMA 1000 Zero-Days That May Form an Attack ChainSonicWall has released security updates to address two security flaws impacting its Secure Mobile Access (SMA) 1000 series VPN appliances that have been exploited in zero-day attacks.
The vulnerabili...The Hacker News · model↗SEP 02, 2026GeoNetwork Fixes Unauthenticated RCE Chain Affecting Government Geoportal BackendsTwo vulnerabilities in GeoNetwork can be chained to achieve unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE) on the open-source geospatial metadata catalog, which sits behind many government and agency geo...The Hacker News · coding↗SEP 02, 2026Extradited Russian Hacker Faces Charges Over Excel Malware Campaign That Infected ThousandsThe U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged a Russian national, extradited from Cyprus on August 28, with using roughly 255 fake accounts on a freelance platform to send malware-laced Excel attac...The Hacker News · security↗SEP 02, 2026HiddenLayer nabs $100M as enterprises rush to secure their AI deploymentsHiddenLayer has raised a $100M Series B from Delta-v Capital, Ten Eleven Ventures, Morgan Stanley, Microsoft's M12, Booz Allen Hamilton, and others.TechCrunch · industry↗SEP 02, 2026PSA: Amazon’s shopping AI can now tell you if that message is a scamAmazon is adding a scam-detection feature to Alexa for Shopping that can verify whether suspicious emails, texts, and other messages actually came from the retailer.TechCrunch · industry↗SEP 02, 2026Adobe acquires Indian market intelligence startup RiloThis is Adobe's second acquisition out of India after Rephrase.ai in 2023TechCrunch · industry↗SEP 02, 2026OpenAI faces 30 more lawsuits tied to Tumbler Ridge shootingEdelson PC is filing 30 new lawsuits against OpenAI over the Tumbler Ridge shooting, escalating claims to aiding and abetting and naming Chris Lehane, though evidence remains unconfirmed.OpenAI · coding↗SEP 02, 2026Malicious .git Configs Can Make Claude, Codex, Cursor, and Other AI Agents Run Attacker CodeManifold Security has disclosed eight security flaws across seven command-line AI coding agents in which a repository's own Git configuration names a command that the agent runs on the developer's mac...Anthropic · model↗SEP 02, 2026BGP Hijack Delivers Malicious Virtualizor Update That Establishes Persistent Root AccessVirtualizor said hackers used a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) hijack to divert Softaculous traffic. The hackers then used the diverted update traffic to deliver a malicious Virtualizor package to some...The Hacker News · security↗SEP 02, 2026Meta Ads Push StreamRat Android Trojan That Can Gain Near-Complete Device ControlCybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new Android banking trojan called StreamRat that was promoted to Spanish-speaking users through a fake television-streaming campaign on Meta and c...The Hacker News · image↗SEP 02, 2026Malicious Apache Modules Hijack Brazilian Government Site Traffic to Push Betting PagesA Chinese-speaking cybercrime cluster known as Gambling Goblin has been observed installing malicious Apache modules on compromised web servers run by Brazilian government and educational institutions...The Hacker News · security↗SEP 02, 2026How to Secure Enterprise AI: From Adoption to Incident ReadinessThe debate about whether AI delivers business value is over. The challenge now is implementing it at scale and securely across every function while meeting board-level pressure to move fast. Organizat...The Hacker News · coding↗SEP 01, 2026Path to Astra: critical capabilities and frontier safeguardsAstra is the first OpenAI model to meet the Critical cybersecurity capability threshold under the Preparedness Framework, with stronger safeguards for release.OpenAI · model↗SEP 01, 2026Apple shares ‘shocking evidence’ against former employee accused of stealing company data for OpenAIApple says it has evidence that a former employee destroyed evidence of data theft after learning he was under investigation.OpenAI · coding↗SEP 01, 2026AfterQuery reportedly becomes Y Combinator’s fastest-ever unicorn, now valued at $3.2BAI model-training startup AfterQuery has reportedly raised a round that valued it at $3.2 billion, just five months after announcing its $30 million Series A at a $300 million valuation in April.TechCrunch · industry↗SEP 01, 2026Google’s Android update tackles motion sickness, accessibility, and moreWhile some of the features see Google playing catch-up to Apple, which already offers similar features for iPhone users, others specifically leverage Gemini to provide various improvements.Google DeepMind · model↗SEP 01, 2026Open AI’s Astra model is on the way — and very good at breaking into computer systemsOpenAI previewed the precautions it is taking as it prepares to release Astra, its newest, cyber-critical LLM.OpenAI · model↗SEP 01, 2026BenchMIRT: What are LLM benchmarks actually measuring?Hugging Face · model↗SEP 01, 2026Claude Fable 5.1 made me a really nice animated pelicanToday is Claude Fable (and Mythos) 5.1 day. Anthropic say that Fable 5.1 "sets a new standard for coding, knowledge work, and long-running problem-solving tasks". Their announcement spends a notable a...Anthropic · model↗SEP 01, 2026How law firm Gilbert + Tobin governs and scales AI with OpenAISee how Gilbert + Tobin combines CEO-led commitment, rigorous governance, and human accountability to scale ChatGPT Enterprise and Codex across the firm.OpenAI · model↗SEP 01, 2026Attackers Exploit Critical Langflow and Rails Flaws in Credential-Probing and C2 ActivityThreat actors are exploiting two critical flaws impacting Langflow and Ruby on Rails, according to new findings from VulnCheck.
The vulnerabilities in question are listed below -
CVE-2026-0768 (C...The Hacker News · security↗SEP 01, 2026GeoJSON Map ViewerTool: GeoJSON Map Viewer
I was helping Natalie gather some maps of local political boundaries (for the Granada Community Services District and the Midcoast Community Council and found a need t...Simon Willison · industry↗SEP 01, 2026Threat Actors Don’t Want Better Attacks. They Want Repeatable OnesThe most common way into a company last year was to ask.
A web page tells the visitor to prove they are not a robot. While they read the instructions, it quietly places a command on their clipboard. ...The Hacker News · security↗SEP 01, 2026Attackers Steal METR API Key and Consume AI Credits Worth About $600,000METR (short for Model Evaluation and Threat Research and pronounced "Meter"), a research non-profit that evaluates frontier artificial intelligence (AI) models for their ability to carry out long-hori...The Hacker News · security↗SEP 01, 2026Russia-Aligned UAC-0099 Plants Nuclear Weapon Prompt in Malware to Disrupt AI AnalysisCybersecurity researchers have disclosed a new technique dubbed GuardBreaker that's been put to use by a Russia-aligned threat actor known as UAC-0099 against a target in Ukraine with an aim to interf...The Hacker News · security↗SEP 01, 202613 Malicious Packagist Packages Target Unpatched iPhones to Steal Crypto Wallet SeedsCybersecurity researchers have identified a set of 13 malicious Composer theme packages on Packagist that are designed to inject JavaScript into Vietnamese movie and comic streaming sites that install...The Hacker News · coding↗SEP 01, 2026Amazon Alexa can now alert you when something new might tempt you to shopAmazon is adding a new Alexa-powered feature called “Update Me When” that can send personalized alerts about product launches, tours, books, shows, and other events that could trigger a purchase.TechCrunch · model↗SEP 01, 2026AIR raises $50M to help companies vet the skills and add-ons AI agents useAIR's platform can discover agents running at a company, continuously vets any skills and add-ons they use, and blocks any unwanted behaviour.TechCrunch · automation↗SEP 01, 2026Fambot introduces an ‘AI chief of staff’ for familiesFambot is building an AI “chief of staff” to help families manage the emails, calendars, school updates, sports schedules, and other logistics of raising kids.TechCrunch · industry↗SEP 01, 2026Iranian Hackers Pose as Recruiters to Deliver Cross-Platform RATs Through Coding TestsThe Iranian Nimbus Manticore hacking group has been attributed to two previously undocumented malware families that highlight the continued evolution of its toolset and likely expand its targeting foo...The Hacker News · security↗SEP 01, 2026Introducing @huggingface/kernels: 200+ WebGPU Kernels for Local AIHugging Face · model↗SEP 01, 2026Python 3.15.0 candidate 2 is here!Python 3.15.0 candidate 2 is here!
Hugo van Kemenade (release manager for Python 3.14 and 3.15) announces the final release candidate for Python 3.15, scheduled for release in October:
Entering the r...Simon Willison · model↗SEP 01, 2026Build your ideasClaude Code limits and Infinite SlopAnthropic · model↗SEP 01, 2026How AI-native companies turn workflows into operating capabilityBasis, Clay, and Exa Labs use AI agents to improve onboarding, account management, and developer integrations. See what enterprise leaders can apply.OpenAI · coding↗SEP 01, 2026Anthropic’s new Fable release is cheaper, less restrictiveFable 5.1 includes changes meant to reduce token cost and false-positive restrictions from the model's safeguards.Anthropic · model↗SEP 01, 2026Google’s answer to Canva is an AI tool where you prompt instead of designWith Google Pics, Google is pushing deeper into the creative software market dominated by Canva and Adobe, but with a distinctly AI-first approach.TechCrunch · industry↗SEP 01, 2026Healthcare organizations can now connect EHR and additional industry data to ChatGPTChatGPT can now connect to trusted healthcare data, helping clinicians securely access patient context, medical research, and more.OpenAI · model↗SEP 01, 2026Introducing agentic video understanding with GeminiGoogle DeepMind · model↗SEP 01, 2026ChatGPT Health adds Epic integration for clinicians to import patient dataOpenAI said that the integration provides read-only access to health records for clinicians.OpenAI · model↗SEP 01, 2026Sequoia-incubated Empirik launches with $21M to predict outages before they happenThe startup wants to do for IT infrastructure what Cursor did for software engineering.TechCrunch · model↗SEP 01, 2026Attackers Exploit Critical JFrog Artifactory Flaw to Mint Admin Tokens Days After DisclosureThreat actors are exploiting a newly patched critical security flaw impacting JFrog Artifactory merely days after public disclosure, according to watchTowr.
The vulnerability in question is CVE-2026-...The Hacker News · model↗SEP 01, 2026Breeze Comet Executes Hundreds of Fraudulent Transactions via Brazilian Payment SystemsBrazilian financial services, retail, and e-commerce organizations have become the target of a financially motivated threat actor dubbed Breeze Comet (formerly UNC5669) since 2024.
Google Threat Inte...The Hacker News · security↗SEP 01, 2026Codex bundles LibreOfficeI was poking around in my ~/.cache/ folder using OmniDiskSweeper when I spotted something interesting. The OpenAI Codex desktop app (since rebranded to just ChatGPT) has 1.7GB of stuff in there in a f...OpenAI · model↗SEP 01, 2026Quoting Tarn AdamsThey took the letters from me! I have to talk about dwarf behavior now. I can't even talk about dwarf AI. It doesn't exist. It's dwarf behavior, and they misbehave sometimes
Tarn Adams, co-creator o...Simon Willison · industry↗AUG 31, 2026Introducing wraptureIntroducing wrapture
New from Graham Dumpleton (of wrapt, mod_wsgi, and New Relic's Python agent fame), who describes Wrapture as taking the monkeypatching ideas from wrapt and extending them to apply...Simon Willison · coding↗AUG 31, 2026Quoting Andrew Digby325 #kakapo! The chicks from this year's record breeding season are now juveniles and so have been added to the population. In 1995 there were just 51 kākāpō left. Recovery of critically endangered sp...Simon Willison · industry↗AUG 31, 2026OpenAI supports California’s bill to advance youth AI safetyOpenAI supports California SB 1119, advancing strong, age-appropriate AI safeguards for teens while preserving opportunities to learn, create, and explore.OpenAI · security↗AUG 31, 2026Pocket's AI made my game ideas real. Now Meta controls the results.Interactive mobile "gizmos" are easy to make, hard to share outside Meta's platform.Ars Technica · coding↗AUG 31, 2026China-Linked Fire Ant Hijacks Cisco Routers to Steal Credentials and Blind Security LogsA China-nexus cyber espionage actor tracked as Fire Ant has expanded a long-running campaign beyond VMware hypervisors to compromise Cisco IOS XR routers, Terminal Access Controller Access-Control Sys...The Hacker News · security↗AUG 31, 2026DoJ Corrects China Hacking Claim, Says U.S. Agencies Were Targets, Not VictimsThe U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) on Friday corrected a previously issued press statement that several of its agencies were victims of attacks carried out by Chinese threat actors, instead now poin...The Hacker News · security↗AUG 31, 2026A milestone in expanding access to AIChatGPT Ads reaches $1 billion in annualized revenue run rate and expands globally, supporting broader access to AI through free and affordable options.OpenAI · model↗AUG 31, 2026Nvidia’s $3.5B MediaTek bet reveals its plan for tackling Big Tech’s AI chip buildoutNvidia invests $3.5 billion into Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek. The deal shows how Nvidia plans to stay essential to AI infrastructure as Big Tech begins to build its own AI chips.TechCrunch · industry↗AUG 31, 2026Meeting note-taker Circleback adds a free tier to attract more customersCircleback is also introducing new pricing plans starting from $14 per month.TechCrunch · industry↗AUG 31, 2026⚡ Weekly Recap: Chinese Spy Proxy, AI Agents Go Off-Task, Router Backdoors and MoreThe boring parts caused most of the trouble.
A router shipped ready to listen. A fake check turned the user into the installer. Trusted systems collected traffic and passwords, then cleaned the logs....The Hacker News · automation↗AUG 31, 2026ValleyRAT Backdoor Hides in Signed Adware That Users Add to Antivirus ExclusionsThe threat actor known as Silver Fox has been observed distributing the ValleyRAT backdoor disguised as a signed Chinese adware application, running the malware under a trusted process to slip past us...The Hacker News · coding↗AUG 31, 2026Aurora Ransomware Operators Use Cursor AI in Attacks Against 10 TargetsThreat actors associated with Aurora (aka Aur0ra) ransomware have been observed using SpaceX's artificial intelligence (AI)-powered coding assistant Cursor to break into target networks, according to ...The Hacker News · coding↗AUG 31, 2026Securing Claude Code: The New Compliance API, Local Visibility, and Identity GovernanceClaude Code reads files, runs shell commands, invokes MCP tools, and acts through the credentials available on a developer’s machine. Anthropic’s new Compliance API endpoints give security teams their...Anthropic · model↗AUG 31, 2026Instagram puts new limits on undisclosed AI profilesAs frustration over AI influencers has been growing, Instagram is limiting the reach of undisclosed AI profiles.TechCrunch · industry↗AUG 31, 2026Harvard Law dropout raises $6M for Blue Voice to build a ‘Harvey for police officers’Blue Voice is trained on department-specific laws, local ordinances, protocols, and guidelines that general-purpose AI tools can't access on the public internet.TechCrunch · coding↗AUG 31, 2026The U.S. is building barriers around drones and robots, but China has scale to get around themThe U.S. is shutting out more foreign-made drones and robots. China’s scale means the global competition may simply move elsewhere.TechCrunch · industry↗AUG 31, 2026Clipto uses AI to search terabytes of video and is now valued at $250MThe three-year-old startup says it reached $15 million in ARR and profitability before raising its latest $15 million round.TechCrunch · coding↗AUG 31, 2026North Korean Job Fraud Expands Beyond IT Into Healthcare and SalesThreat actors with ties to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (aka DPRK or North Korea) have been observed seeking job opportunities beyond the information technology (IT) sector, with recent i...The Hacker News · security↗AUG 31, 2026Polimill builds Japan's next-generation public AI infrastructurePolimill uses OpenAI GPT models and Codex to help municipalities search and use administrative knowledge while accelerating development.OpenAI · model↗