Issue #6
White House Asks OpenAI to Delay Model, Claude Gains on ChatGPT
Friday, June 26, 2026
Today covers the White House requesting a slower release of OpenAI's new model, Anthropic's Claude gaining ground among paid consumers, and major funding rounds for General Intuition, Patronus AI, and Netris. We also look at a plan to slash AI's power consumption and new research on how heat waves affect the brain.
1 of 7 · TechCrunch AI
The White House is asking OpenAI to slow roll the release of its new model over safety concerns
The White House has reportedly asked OpenAI to limit the release of its newest model, GPT 5.6, to a select group of partners rather than the broader public, citing safety concerns. OpenAI is said to be complying with the administration's request.
Read the full story →2 of 7 · TechCrunch AI
Anthropic’s Claude is winning over paid consumers, a market owned by ChatGPT
Anthropic's Claude is gaining share among consumers who pay for AI tools, even as ChatGPT maintains a dominant overall market lead, according to recent data.
Read the full story →3 of 7 · TechCrunch AI
General Intuition’s $2.3B bet that video games can train AI agents for the real world
General Intuition raised $320 million to train AI agents on millions of hours of video game footage, aiming to use action data to develop spatial and physical reasoning skills. The company is betting that gameplay data can teach AI capabilities applicable to real-world tasks.
Read the full story →4 of 7 · TechCrunch AI
Patronus AI lands $50M to build ‘digital worlds’ that stress-test AI agents
Patronus AI, a startup founded by former Meta AI researchers, raised $50 million to develop simulated environments for stress-testing AI agents. The company focuses on evaluating agent reliability, an area its investors describe as facing strong market demand.
Read the full story →5 of 7 · TechCrunch AI
Databricks’ former AI chief thinks he can cut AI’s power bill by 1,000x
Naveen Rao, formerly head of AI at Databricks, has launched a new venture aimed at reducing AI's energy consumption by a factor of 1,000. The company's first system, Un-0, is an image-generation tool intended to demonstrate that its technology can replicate the capabilities of conventional AI systems.
Read the full story →6 of 7 · TechCrunch AI
Netris raises $15M Series A from a16z to help AI neoclouds go live faster
Netris raised $15 million in a Series A round led by a16z. The company develops software that runs on network switches and helps neocloud operators reduce the time required to launch their services.
Read the full story →7 of 7 · MIT Technology Review
Heat waves mess with your brain. Scientists are trying to figure out why.
Researchers are investigating how extreme heat affects cognitive function, as a dangerous heat wave hits Western Europe. The UK recorded its highest ever June temperature at 36.1°C, prompting closer examination of heat's impact on the brain.
Read the full story →That is today's roost. See you Monday morning.
Morning Roost Issue #6