<p>Controlling electromagnetic wave propagation in multiple scattering systems is a challenging endeavor due to the extraordinary sensitivity generated by strong multi-path contributions at any given location. Overcoming such complexity has emerged as a central research theme in recent years, motivated both by a wide range of applications – from wireless communications and imaging to optical micromanipulations – and by the fundamental principles underlying these efforts. Here, we show that an in-situ manipulation of the myriad scattering events, achieved through time- and energy-efficient adjoint optimization (AO) methodologies, enables real time wave-driven functionalities such as targeted channel emission, coherent perfect absorption, and camouflage. Our paradigm shift exploits the highly multi-path nature of these complex environments, where repeated wave-scattering dramatically amplifies small local AO-informed system variations. Our approach can be immediately applied to in-door wireless technologies and incorporated into diverse wave-based frameworks including imaging, power electronic and optical neural networks.</p>