This 'adversarial' pattern can prevent surveillance cameras from detecting you

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this weekend

View this email online in your browser  August 09, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 This 'adversarial' pattern can prevent surveillance cameras from detecting you: A security researcher has designed an algorithm that can create computer-generated patterns capable of hiding people, faces, and vehicles from detection by surveillance cameras. Read More Historian Jill Lepore says Silicon Valley misreads science fiction and undermines democracy: On the latest episode of Equity, we spoke to Jill Lepore about "government by machines" and why Elon Musk is a bad science fiction reader. Read More Planned Amazon data center could become the biggest climate polluter in the U.S.: As part of a planned Texas data center, Amazon is investing in an on-site power plant that could reportedly become the largest source of climate pollution in the United States. Read More A message from Tether Tether Addresses a Top Challenge in Brain-Computer Interfaces Three peer-reviewed papers show a single AI model can decode speech, vision, and music from brain activity across different people, cutting patient calibration from weeks to minutes. The research tackles one of neurotech's biggest challenges, that every brain has different signals. Read The Research Sunday Must-Reads Cloudflare launches Kitesurf, a browser built for AI agents: Kitesurf is a cloud-hosted browser designed for AI agents instead of people. It uses less computing power than Chromium for common automation tasks, helping developers build browser-based AI agents more efficiently. Read More OpenAI acquires presentation startup NextSlide: NextSlide says its team members are now working on ChatGPT. Read More The AI safety test is becoming a safety risk: AI agents are escaping cybersecurity testing environments and reaching real-world systems, raising questions about whether safety infrastructure, industry standards and regulation can keep pace with increasingly powerful models. Read More The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is a lot of fun, but it’s not a must-have: While the device is pretty and lightweight, it’s not something the everyday person needs due to its hefty price tag and size.  Read More This former notorious red-light district is now one of the world’s top AI hubs: More than 20 years ago, King's Cross was one of the seediest area's in London. Now it's sprouting something new. Read More A message from Fidelity What Investors Actually Want to See in 2026 Investors in 2026 are pickier than ever—but they're crystal clear about what they want. This webinar with our partner Fidelity Private Shares reveals the 5 core metrics and attributes driving investment decisions across stages and industries. You'll learn exactly how to benchmark your business, understand investor priorities, and position yourself for funding success. Register Today Disrupt 2026: Where deals and ideas ignite Oct 13–15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, 10,000 founders, investors, and operators gather for high-signal insights, curated connections, and real momentum. Register Now! Last but Not Least X replaces ‘misaligned’ revenue sharing program with Original Content Rewards: X is winding down its existing Revenue Sharing program. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107

After Rippling blew millions on AI in months, it built an employee ROI tool

Plus more of TechCrunch's top stories this afternoon

View this email online in your browser  August 07, 2026 TechCrunch Top 3 After Rippling blew millions on AI in months, it built an employee ROI tool: After its own AI usage wake-up call, Rippling this week unveiled AI Spend Console, a product that tracks individual and team employee AI spending. Read More Cloudflare launches Kitesurf, a browser built for AI agents: Cloudflare has introduced Kitesurf, a cloud-hosted browser designed for AI agents instead of people. The company says the browser uses less computing power than Chromium for common automation tasks, helping developers build browser-based AI agents more efficiently. Read More Security researchers scanned the Polish web and found courts, hospitals, and airports at risk of hacks: Researchers found common points of failure, like software used to organize and display web content, could have allowed hackers to run riot through government websites. Read More A message from AWS Find your people, fuel your ideas. Stop spinning and start learning. AWS Builder Center helps you build real projects that make you look legit. Sign Up Afternoon Must-Reads Trump administration has spent nearly $4B to cancel offshore wind farms: The Trump administration has now convinced developers to abandon 12 offshore wind leases. The latest will cost taxpayers $1.2 billion. Read More New Mexico court orders Meta to pay additional $567M in child safety case: Meta's total fine has raked up to $942 million in this case. Read More SpaceX's Terafab will rely on natural gas power plants, not Tesla solar panels: SpaceX and Tesla are building a massive semiconductor fab in Texas that will depend on natural gas power plants, not Tesla solar panels. Read More Chinese AI model Kimi escaped its cybersecurity testing environment, researchers say: In the Kimi test, the sandbox designed to contain the experiment was not properly configured. Read More Computer maker Framework notifies 'all customers' of a data breach: Framework told "all" of its customers that hackers accessed their names, email addresses, phone numbers, and physical addresses in a data breach. Read More Last but Not Least Wacom's Movinkpad 11 is a fun and mid-priced entry point for digital artists: The Movinkpad 11 a versatile little graphics tablet that can help make your wildest digital art dreams come true. Read More Check out some of our other newsletters: StrictlyVC TechCrunch Events TechCrunch Mobility Want to adjust your daily newsletter schedule? You can do it right here Got a tip? Get in touch securely. Want to advertise on TechCrunch? advertise@techcrunch.com Has this been forwarded to you? Click here to subscribe to this newsletter. Unsubscribe Member Center Privacy Policy Copyright © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC 501 2nd Street, Suite 650, San Francisco, CA 94107