Data from Sensor Tower and Wells Fargo Securities suggests AI coding tools are flooding the iOS App Store. According to a16z, new iOS apps jumped 60 percent in December 2025 year-over-year, with 24 percent growth across the full twelve months. The three years prior, new app numbers stayed essentially flat.
The chart shows year-over-year iOS app releases, with growth accelerating sharply after the release of agentic coding tools. | Image: via a16z
The analysis doesn't prove vibe coding is causing the increase; the correlation could be coincidental. Still, it makes intuitive sense: building an app has become much easier, meaning more people can now ship their ideas to the App Store.
Meta is cutting off access to AI characters for teenagers around the globe. Starting in the "coming weeks," teens won't be able to use AI characters in Meta's apps until a revised version is ready. The ban applies to all users who entered a teenage birth date, as well as people who claim to be adults but are flagged as minors by Meta's age recognition technology.
Meta's AI Assistant will stay available for minors with age-appropriate protections, the company says. Meta is also working on new tools that will give parents more visibility and control over how their kids use AI features. Once those tools are ready, they'll apply to the updated version of AI characters.
Meta had already responded to reports about problematic chatbot interactions with minors in the summer of 2025. An internal document revealed that Meta's AI chatbots were allowed to have romantic or "sensual" conversations with minors under the company's guidelines. Following the disclosure, Meta announced that chatbots would no longer be permitted to discuss sensitive topics with teenagers.
OpenAI has a new math champion. GPT-5.2 Pro just set a record on the notoriously difficult FrontierMath benchmark, according to testing by Epoch AI. The model hit 31 percent on the hardest tier (Tier 4) - a major leap from Gemini 3 Pro's previous best of 19 percent. Epoch AI ran the tests manually through the ChatGPT website because of API issues.
GPT-5.2 Pro scored 31 percent on FrontierMath Tier 4, outpacing Gemini 3 Pro (19 percent) and GPT-5.2 xhigh (17 percent). | Image: Epoch AI
GPT-5.2 Pro cracked 15 of 48 tasks, including four problems no model had solved before. Several mathematicians gave the solutions mostly positive reviews, though some criticized the lack of precision in certain explanations.
Google Photos is rolling out a new AI feature called "Me Meme" in the US. The tool lets users create personalized memes using their own photos. Users pick a template from the available options or upload their own image, then add a photo of themselves. Google's generative AI combines these to create a meme that can be saved or shared on other platforms.
Google's Me Meme feature turns your photos into personalized memes using generative AI. | via X
The feature is available in the Google Photos app under "Create." Google hasn't said when Me Meme will launch outside the US. More details are available on the Google support page.
An OpenAI developer known by the pseudonym "roon" has a blunt prediction for the future of software development: many developers at software companies will soon openly admit they no longer fully understand the code they're submitting. Eventually, this will cause system failures that are harder to debug than usual but will still get fixed in the end, roon writes, adding that he doesn't "write code anymore."
OpenAI developer "roon" predicts a cultural shift where programmers "declare bankruptcy" on understanding their own code. | Screenshot via X
The prediction cuts to the heart of an ongoing debate: Is AI-assisted programming a fundamental shift in how developers work, or a risky breaking point? Some enthusiasts point to massive productivity gains, while critics fear growing dependencies and bugs that slip through undetected.
Google Deepmind goes on acquisition spree with three AI deals in one week
Google’s AI shopping spree reveals a well-known playbook for expanding market power: instead of outright acquisitions that trigger antitrust scrutiny, the company is scooping up top talent, licensing key technologies, and forging strategic partnerships with former employees.
