Tech Pulse Daily - December 16, 2025

OpenAI Releases New ChatGPT Images with 4x Faster Generation

OpenAI has launched a significantly upgraded version of ChatGPT Images, powered by a new flagship image generation model called GPT Image 1.5, delivering 4x faster generation speeds and more precise editing capabilities.

• Speed Improvement: 4x faster image generation compared to previous model
• New Model: GPT Image 1.5 powers both ChatGPT and API
• Better Editing: More precise edits while preserving original image details
• New Interface: Dedicated Images section in ChatGPT mobile app and website

Read OpenAI's official announcement →

OpenAI's "Code Red" Warpath Against Google Continues

Today's ChatGPT Images release represents OpenAI's latest move in Sam Altman's declared "code red" campaign to regain AI leadership from Google, which has seen explosive growth with Gemini and Nano Banana Pro.

• Background: Internal memo leaked showing Altman's "code red" declaration over Gemini threat
• Google's Growth: Gemini reached 650M users (up from 450M in July) driven by Nano Banana Pro
• Google's Response: Limited free users to 2 image generations per day due to overwhelming demand
• Competition: Direct feature-by-feature battle in AI image generation space

Read TechCrunch's analysis of the AI image wars →

GPT Image 1.5 Now Available for Developers

Developers can now access GPT Image 1.5 through OpenAI's API, enabling integration of the new faster image generation capabilities into their own applications.

• Model Name: Available as "gpt-image-1.5" in the API
• Availability: Rolling out to all API users
• Features: Same 4x speed improvement and enhanced editing as ChatGPT
• Business/Enterprise: Business and Enterprise ChatGPT access coming later

# Use gpt-image-1.5 in your OpenAI API calls
response = openai.Image.create(
    model="gpt-image-1.5",
    prompt="Your image prompt here",
    n=1,
    size="1024x1024"
)

Today's Funding Highlights

Today's startup funding news continues the December AI investment frenzy with several notable rounds:

• Last Energy - $100M Series C: Compact modular nuclear reactors for AI data center power
• Simular AI - $21.5M Series A: AI agents for Mac OS and Windows automation (Felicis, NVIDIA)
• Aaru - ~$1B Series A: AI synthetic research platform led by Redpoint Ventures

View full funding roundup →

Tomorrow: Google Gemini 3 Flash Expected

Google is expected to release Gemini 3 Flash tomorrow (December 17), which promises frontier intelligence at Flash-level speeds and costs.

• Expected Features: Pro-level reasoning at 3x faster speed
• Pricing: Expected $0.50/1M input tokens, $3.00/1M output tokens
• Availability: Google AI Studio, Gemini app, and Vertex AI
• Default Model: Expected to become default in Gemini app