GPT 5.2 'garlic' model's benchmark performance

Hey there!

Welcome back to The Pulse, where we dive into interesting AI stories and trends backed by data, all presented through simple visuals.

> released just 30 days after GPT-5.1, with unprecedented >50% score on ARC-AGI 2

> 5.2 thinking deemed best for real-world professional use, performing at or above human expert level

> beats/ties experts on 70.9% (Pro = 74%) of comparisons on GDPval knowledge work tasks (making presentations, spreadsheets, etc) at >11x the speed & <1% the cost of expert humans

> 40% more expensive than GPT-5, but for huge gains

> ChatGPT “adult mode” to debut in Q1 2026

> Disney investing $1B into OpenAI + 3-yr licensing deal enabling Sora to generate videos with 200+ Disney characters

> ChatGPT now the most-installed free iOS app in the US, ~2.5 years after launch

> first hit most-downloaded status worldwide (iOS + GPlay = 46M installs) in March this year

> surpassed all social apps (Instagram, TikTok, etc.) + essentials (Gmail, Google Maps)

> in ~2 years: 0 → 2 AI apps in the top 10; ChatGPT leads, Gemini now fast-closing as rising usage + benchmark gains drive adoption & competition

> tech already AI heavy - 11x growth on top = deeper integration

> health & manufacturing still in early expansion unlike tech, although healthcare = largest vertical AI market at $1.5B spend (scribe-led)

> even slowest-growing sector at >2x growth while median sector sees 6x growth

> customer concentration highest in professional services, finance, tech (early adopters still lead scale)

> API used mainly for customer-facing apps, then customer service + content generation as non-tech firm API grows 5x YoY