Your Morning AI News: ChatGPT's $3B Milestone, GPT-5.2 Launch, and the Rise of AI Scams in December 2025

Source: Dev.to

ChatGPT App Store Launch

OpenAI has introduced an app store for ChatGPT, allowing developers to build and monetize AI‑powered tools directly within the platform. This creates a full ecosystem similar to the iOS App Store, opening new opportunities for AI applications.

• Source: ChatGPT launches an app store, lets developers know it’s open for business – TechCrunch

$3 B Milestone in Consumer Spending

The ChatGPT mobile app has surpassed $3 billion in consumer spending, driven by a subscription model and a user base of over 300 million weekly active users. This revenue exceeds the valuation of many established tech companies.

• Source: ChatGPT’s mobile app hits new milestone of $3B in consumer spending – TechCrunch

GPT‑5.2 Release

Following a “code red” alert triggered by competitive pressures, OpenAI released GPT‑5.2, which brings enhancements in reasoning, coding, and multimodal understanding.

• Source: OpenAI releases GPT-5.2 after “code red” Google threat alert – Ars Technica

Disney’s $1 B Investment in OpenAI

Disney has invested $1 billion in OpenAI and secured licensing for 200 characters to be used with Sora, OpenAI’s AI video‑generation platform. This partnership enables AI‑generated content featuring major Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars properties.

• Source: Disney invests $1 billion in OpenAI, licenses 200 characters for AI video app Sora – Ars Technica

AI‑Driven Romance Scams

WIRED uncovered a platform called Haotian that enables near‑real‑time face swapping during video calls, facilitating sophisticated romance scams. The technology allows scammers to impersonate individuals convincingly in live video chats.

• Source: The Ultra‑Realistic AI Face Swapping Platform Driving Romance Scams – WIRED

Data Harvesting by Browser Extensions

Ars Technica reported that browser extensions with a combined user base of 8 million have been silently collecting extended AI conversations. These popular productivity tools capture potentially sensitive data in the background.

• Source: Browser extensions with 8 million users collect extended AI conversations – Ars Technica

“Slop” – Merriam‑Webster’s Word of the Year

Merriam‑Webster named “slop” its word of the year, reflecting widespread frustration with low‑quality AI‑generated content flooding the internet.

• Source: Merriam‑Webster’s word of the year delivers a dismissive verdict on junk AI content – Ars Technica

Recursive AI Coding Agent

OpenAI has built an AI coding agent that is used to improve itself. The agent identifies bugs, suggests optimizations, and iteratively refines its own code, moving toward a recursive improvement loop.

• Source: OpenAI built an AI coding agent and uses it to improve the agent itself – Ars Technica

Takeaways

For Developers

• The ChatGPT app store offers a low‑competition environment to launch AI‑driven applications.
• Early adoption can provide a strategic advantage as the ecosystem matures.

For Businesses

• AI security must be a priority. Threats such as real‑time face‑swapping scams and covert data‑collecting extensions are emerging rapidly.
• Conduct regular audits of browser extensions and verify the authenticity of video communications.

For Everyone

• Approach AI‑generated content with skepticism; not all output is valuable.
• Verify the identity of individuals in video calls, especially on dating platforms.
• Review permissions and data practices of any extensions that claim to enhance productivity.

Staying informed and vigilant is essential as AI continues to reshape both opportunities and risks across the tech landscape.