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December 16, 2025, 1:55 PM
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| Rachel Metz / Bloomberg: |
OpenAI updates ChatGPT Images to generate images up to 4x faster and edit more precisely, and adds a new section in ChatGPT's app and website for images — OpenAI is rolling out an update to ChatGPT that's intended to generate images better and faster, the latest move by the artificial intelligence developer …
More: OpenAI, Fidji Simo, TechCrunch, Axios, VentureBeat, Engadget, 9to5Google, and Livemint
X: @billpeeb, @therealadamg, @fidjissimo, @nickaturley, @openai, @sama, and @sama
| OpenAI: |
OpenAI launches FrontierScience, a benchmark to measure models' expert-level scientific reasoning with 700+ questions, finding GPT-5.2 is its strongest model — We introduce FrontierScience, a new benchmark that evaluates AI capabilities for expert-level scientific reasoning across physics, chemistry, and biology.
More: Time. X: @andrewcurran_, @sama, @openai, @openai, and @openai
Bluesky: @skiesofpluto, @vtmicah, @sherlocksdad, @k2mey, @prietschka, and @feeney.dev
| The Information: |
A look at Apple's iPhone roadmap; sources say the iPhone 18 Pro lineup will get under-screen Face ID, and the front camera will move to the top-left corner — The iPhone family is growing again. Over the next two years, Apple is planning a major expansion of its smartphone product line … | Robbie Whelan / Wall Street Journal: |
CoreWeave lost $33B in market value in six weeks amid construction delays at its Denton, Texas AI data center, criticism from short seller Jim Chanos, and more — The data-center provider's terrible six-week slide picked up speed when a famous short seller piled concerns on top of delays| David Pierce / The Verge: |
Mozilla appoints Anthony Enzor-DeMeo as its CEO, after years of its for-profit arm juggling layoffs, restructuring, its Google dependence, and the AI landscape — Anthony Enzor-DeMeo says he thinks there's room for another browser, even an AI browser — as long as you can trust it.
More: The Register, Thurrott, The Mozilla Blog, PR Newswire, Mercury News, Fast Company, and Phoronix
Mastodon: @sarahjamielewis …, @jbz@indieweb.social, @mcc@mastodon.social, @phoenix@chaos.social, @tante@tldr.nettime.org, @Barredo@mastodon.social, @catsalad@infosec.exchange, and @ianbetteridge@social …
Forums: Hacker News, r/BetterOffline, r/firefox, r/technology, and Slashdot
| Counterpoint Research: |
Global smartphone shipments in 2026 are set to shrink 2.1% due to rising memory costs, led by Chinese OEMs; DRAM prices could further raise costs by 10% to 15% — - Global smartphone shipments in 2026 are expected to shrink 2.1% due to rising memory costs.
More: Benzinga, Gizmodo, Axios, Macworld, 9to5Google, AppleInsider, SammyGuru, iClarified, Bloomberg, Taipei Times, The Register, Android Authority, MacRumors, Reuters, Silicon Republic, CNBC, Tech in Asia, TechPowerUp, Moneycontrol, 9to5Mac, GSMArena.com, and MacTech.com. Forums: MacRumors Forums
| New York Times: |
Sources: the US has paused its Tech Prosperity Deal with the UK, signed in September, over frustrations about UK online safety rules and digital services taxes — The U.S. government has paused a tech-focused trade pledge with Britain over broader disagreements about Britain's digital regulations and food safety rules.
More: Financial Times, DatacenterDynamics, AppleInsider, BBC, UPI, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, Capacity, Benzinga, The Business Times, Telegraph, CNBC, Reuters, Politico, and Daily Sabah
X: @teroterotero, @josephpolitano, and @josephpolitano
Bluesky: @mgerrydoyle, @justinhendrix, @judah-grunstein, @premnsikka, @andybrown1951, @davidheniguk, and @globaljusticenow. Mastodon: @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us
Forums: r/neoliberal, r/uknews, r/ukpolitics, r/unitedkingdom, r/europe, and r/ukpolitics
| Mike Wheatley / SiliconANGLE: |
Meta launches prompt-based sound separation model SAM Audio in its Segment Anything Playground, letting users isolate individual sounds from complex recordings — Meta Platforms Inc. is bringing prompt-based editing to the world of sound with a new model called SAM Audio that can segment individual sounds … | Ben Thompson / Stratechery: |
Q&A with Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe on founding Rivian in 2009, production challenges, the VW partnership, autonomy, AI, EVs, chips, CarPlay, and more — Today's Stratechery Interview is with Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe. Last week Rivian held their Autonomy and AI Day …
| Natalie Lung / Bloomberg: |
DoorDash launches Zesty, a standalone AI-powered social app for users to find nearby restaurants, in public testing in San Francisco and New York — DoorDash Inc. is experimenting with a standalone artificial intelligence-powered app for users to find new restaurants, expanding its reach beyond its flagship food-delivery service.
More: TechCrunch and San Francisco Chronicle
| Kurt Wagner / Bloomberg: |
Instagram unveils its first TV app, initially available on Amazon's Fire TV as a test with plans to expand to other TV platforms — Meta Platforms Inc.'s Instagram unveiled its first dedicated TV app, which lets users watch the short-form video feature Reels on a larger screen.| Financial Times: |
OpenAI hires former UK chancellor George Osborne to lead OpenAI for Countries, the global expansion arm of its $500B Stargate data center initiative — Former UK chancellor to lead start-up's effort to spread ‘democratic’ AI across the world — OpenAI has hired former UK chancellor George Osborne … | Belle Lin / Wall Street Journal: |
Databricks is raising a $4B Series L at a $134B valuation, up from $100B in September and $62B in December 2024, and had a $4.8B annual revenue rate in October — The data-analytics and AI software company is raising over $4 billion and crossed $4.8 billion in annual revenue rate| Dan Primack / Axios: |
Event software company Cvent acquires video content platform Goldcast; source: Cvent paid just under $300M to acquire Goldcast, which had raised around $38M — - The deal was announced Monday morning without a price tag. … - Goldcast was founded as a virtual events company at around …
More: Boston Business Journal, Washington …, MarTech, and Goldcast
| Maxwell Zeff / Wired: |
Source: OpenAI rolled back ChatGPT's model router, which sent some queries to reasoning models, for Free and $5/month Go tiers, as it was costly and hurt DAUs — As OpenAI scrambles to improve ChatGPT, it's ditching a feature in its free tier that contributed to last summer's user revolt.
Bluesky: @edzitron.com
| Emily Mason / Bloomberg: |
Visa says it will allow US banks to settle transactions using Circle's USDC stablecoin over Solana, the US' first full deployment of a stablecoin settlement — Visa Inc. is opening its US network to stablecoin settlement, expanding crypto-linked products and services enabled …
| Ivan Mehta / TechCrunch: |
Adobe adds a prompt-based video editor to its Firefly app that uses Runway's Aleph model, and adds image and video models from Black Forest Labs and others — Adobe is updating its AI video-generation app, Firefly, with a new video editor that supports precise prompt-based edits …
More: Livemint, The Adobe Blog, Thurrott, CNET, Tom's Guide, PetaPixel, SiliconANGLE, Lifewire, and The AI Economy
| Andrew McCalip: |
Orbital solar data centers' cost-per-watt of compute is $51.10/W, far above $15.85/W for terrestrial sites; SpaceX is uniquely positioned to try orbital — It might not be rational But It might be physically possibleBefore we get nerd sniped by the shiny engineering details, ask the only question that matters.
More: MarketWatch. X: @markianrubin, @princeofprawns0, @pham_blnh, @lukaemon, @daniellefong, @lispmeister, @adamscrabble, @pronounced_kyle, @lispmeister, @robotbeat, @dhruvboruah, @elidourado, @__drewface, @limitingthe, @drphiltill, @alesh09758566, @chaliceofenergy, @cjhandmer, @object_zero_, @sammendel00, @ludditedesign, @tjevarts, @stolsvik, @jul_coh, @interplanetary, @_faraz, @mikebaccala, and @andrewmccalip. LinkedIn: Bilal Zuberi
| Marina Temkin / TechCrunch: |
Leona Health, maker of an AI-copilot that integrates with doctors' WhatsApp accounts in LATAM to manage patient communications, raised a $14M seed led by a16z — Caroline Merin, who spent nearly a decade developing on-demand speed as the first Latin American General Manager for Uber Eats … | New York Times: |
Elizabeth Warren and two other Democratic senators write to Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and others about AI data centers' role in rising electricity bills — Three Democrats are seeking information from tech firms about the growing energy use of data centers and the utility bills of individuals and other businesses.
More: Tom's Hardware, Fast Company, ZeroHedge News, and RTÉ
| Robert Hart / The Verge: |
Google launches CC, an experimental AI assistant that delivers a personalized daily “Your Day Ahead” briefing email based on users' emails and calendar — Google's new AI agent delivers a morning briefing personalized using your emails and calendar. … Google wants you to start your day with AI.
More: TechCrunch, 9to5Google, and The Keyword
| William Sandlund / Financial Times: |
Shares in Chinese companies critical to AI infrastructure surged in 2025, with CATL up 45% and Sungrow up 130%, as exports boost margins despite Trump's tariffs — Companies such as battery maker CATL earn big margins on export sales despite US tariffs — Shares in Chinese makers of batteries …
More: Financial Times
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