🌌 Starcloud Runs First AI Model In Space
Starcloud used an NVIDIA H100-powered satellite to run Google’s Gemma model in orbit, marking the first high-performance LLM operating in space. The mission shows how orbital data centers could ease Earth’s energy and infrastructure strain. Starcloud says space compute offers lower energy costs and constant solar power. The company also plans a multi-gigawatt space data center.
🤖 Rivian Builds In-House Vehicle AI Assistant
Rivian has spent nearly two years developing an AI assistant designed to integrate deeply with vehicle controls rather than act as a simple infotainment chatbot. The system uses a mix of on-device and cloud models coordinated by an in-house orchestration layer. Rivian says the architecture is model-agnostic, with more details expected at its AI & Autonomy Day.
🥇 ChatGPT Tops U.S. App Downloads In 2025
Apple says ChatGPT was the most-downloaded free iPhone app in the U.S. this year, rising from No. 4 in 2024 and surpassing staples like Google Maps, TikTok, and Instagram. The ranking highlights how deeply AI has entered daily mobile use. It also signals growing pressure on Google’s mobile search dominance. Threads, Google, TikTok, and WhatsApp followed in the top five.
🤔 OpenAI Finds 6X Productivity Gap In AI Use
A new OpenAI report shows workers in the top 5% of AI users send six times more ChatGPT messages than the median use, with even larger gaps in coding and data analysis. Many employees have access to the same tools but use them rarely or not at all, with heavy users reporting far greater time savings.
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"I don't believe that scale is all we need to get to AGI."@AugmentCode Co-Founder Guy Gur-Ari (@guygr) argues there is a fundamental limitation in current models. We are getting more automation, not necessarily general intelligence.But it might not matter for the economy.… pic.twitter.com/e3OPUzW9Uo
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Google’s Gemini 3 Pro Takes Top Spot as AI Landscape Becomes More Competitive
The AI market saw significant shifts in 2025 as OpenAI faced intensified competition, highlighted by Google’s November 18 release of Gemini 3 Pro. The new model has taken the lead in LMArena rankings, surpassing GPT-5. This follows a dynamic year that saw the emergence of new challengers, such as DeepSeek’s R1, which gained significant traction in the App Store and impacted market valuations. Following a mixed reception to GPT-5 regarding its personality and accuracy, Microsoft has opted to diversify its Copilot 365 offerings by integrating Anthropic’s Claude.
OpenAI is navigating a complex period of rapid infrastructure scaling and rising component costs. With a goal of reaching ~$200 billion in annual revenue by 2030, the company is adapting its strategy as the industry matures and investors evaluate the shifting competitive dynamics.→ Read the full article here.
🔗 INTEGRATION
Google Brings Fully-Managed MCP Servers to Its Cloud and Apps Ecosystem
Google announced native Model Context Protocol (MCP) support across Google and Google Cloud services on December 10, 2025, introducing fully-managed, remote MCP servers that let AI agents access tools and data without developers running local servers. The rollout starts with MCP integrations for Google Maps, BigQuery, Compute Engine, and Kubernetes Engine—enabling grounded location queries, in-place enterprise data analysis, and autonomous infrastructure operations.
A unified discovery and governance layer, including Cloud API Registry and Apigee API Hub, adds security controls such as IAM, audit logging and Model Armor protections. Why it matters: by standardizing MCP across its portfolio, Google positions Gemini-based agents to operate more reliably in real-world, enterprise workloads. → Read the full article here.
🛰️ NEWS
What Else is Happening
💰 Unconventional AI Lands $475M Seed: Naveen Rao’s new startup raised $475M at a $4.5B valuation to build ultra-efficient AI hardware, marking the first step toward a planned $1B round.
💸 Amazon Commits $35B to India’s AI Push: Amazon will invest $35B by 2030 to expand cloud and AI infrastructure, boosting jobs, exports and small-business access amid regional compute shortages.
🏷️ Instacart’s AI Tests Hike Prices: Investigators found Instacart’s AI varied prices on identical items by up to 20%, exposing 437 shoppers to experiments that could raise annual costs by $1,200.
📈 Pew Charts Rising Teen AI Use: A new study shows 3 in 10 U.S. teens use chatbots daily, with older, Black and Hispanic teens leading adoption amid growing safety concerns and legal scrutiny.
😠 McDonald’s Drops AI Holiday Ad: McDonald’s Netherlands pulled a 45-second AI-generated Christmas spot after viewers slammed it, prompting the brand to call the backlash a key lesson in using AI.
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