This was the year that AI really took off.

Sure, ChatGPT has already had three birthdays, and Claude and Gemini were both released to the public in 2023. Even Grok is older than it acts.

But it wasn’t until 2025 that you couldn’t scroll for five seconds without running into AI content, AI agents, and long-winded LinkedIn posts about how AI is either a blessing or a curse. 

AI’s pervasiveness went up and down the stack as developers across all categories integrated AI into everything. Others used vibe coding tools to create new apps.

AI’s monumental year is apparent from the sheer number of AI launches we’ve seen at Product Hunt. Of the top 15 launches on Product Hunt, thirteen were tagged “Artificial Intelligence”:

• Dreamina: “All-in-one AI creative suite for all your creative work”
• MGX: “The first AI dev team”
• Sider 5.0: “Mimic human research and save findings in an AI knowledge base”
• Tana: “Put your notes to work with voice and AI”
• Tanka: “AI messenger with smart reply and long-term memory for teams”
• TestSprite 1.0: “First AI agent automating the entire software testing process”
• Aha: “The world’s first AI influencer marketing team”
• Chronicle: “Stunning presentations with AI, no design skills required”
• 21st.dev: “Github + Pinterest to make your AI websites look beautiful”
• Sagehood: “AI agents for a 360-degree analysis of the U.S. stock market”
• Wegic: “Your first AI website team”
• PageOn.A! 2.0: “Cursor for visual communication, beyond slides”
• Basalt: “Integrate AI in your product in seconds”

(The remaining two in the top 15, Screen Studio 3.0 and Bubble for native mobile apps, featured meaningful AI integrations.)

And this doesn’t include any of the OpenAI launches — including GPT-5, ChatGPT Images, and Sora 2, the latter of which connects to a TikTok-like feed of AI-generated videos created with user prompts. It doesn’t include Claude by Anthropic’s Opus 4.5, which is a heavy-hitter for coding work. Nor does it include Google’s Gemini 3, which is vying with GPT and Claude for chatbot supremacy. And don’t sleep on Grok 4.1, xAI’s December release that doubles down on its very-online voice.

And we didn’t even mention Cursor AI, the code editor that achieved Uber and Airbnb status this year— as in “Cursor for XYZ.”

AI is simply where everything is happening.

But 2026 may be a different story. Not to get all apocalyptic, but the latter half of 2025 was populated by tales of an AI bubble, with multibillion-dollar data center deals and $100M salaries and the like being reported every few days. At the LLM level where Google and OpenAI live, it’s all spending but not yet a lot of revenue.

But given that the internet was also once a bubble, we’re betting that 2026 will see plenty more AI launches. In fact, we’re getting ready to launch some AI-related stuff into, ahem, Orbit ourselves.

By Zac Zuo (cofounder, Flowtica Scribe)

“I launched my product Flowtica Scribe a few months ago. Like any maker, I’ve been obsessing over metrics, logistics, and production.

“But yesterday, I received a message on social media that paused everything. It was from Ajit Rajasekharan.

“For those who don't know, Ajit is a legend in the tech world (currently CTO at nference). Back in 2008, he founded a company called Readia. Backed by giants like John Doerr and Vinod Khosla, they tried to build a smart pen that could help children learn to read and write.

“They had the vision, but the technology of that era—dot-printed paper and bulky cameras—became a trap. Despite the brilliant team, the hardware limitations and patent walls forced them to shut down.”

Nika kicked off a thread asking: If you could send one piece of business advice forward to your 2026 self, what would it be? Her own is about not sleeping on LinkedIn as a place where people actually pay, and replies so far orbit the same themes: do fewer things at once, double down on one channel that already works, talk to more people, build community, and sharpen your critical thinking. 

It’s basically a time capsule in progress: drop the one lesson you’d actually want future-you to remember.

Reviewer Xi.Z of Chance AI had this to say about the app that finished #1 for December last year: 

“Just wrapped up my first month with [this product] and wow - what a game-changer for my sleep! As someone who's tried countless sleep apps, this one stands out because it feels like having a genuinely caring sleep coach in your pocket. The AI personality is surprisingly engaging without being pushy (looking at you, other wellness apps 👀). What really impressed me was how it adapted to my weird work schedule. Instead of rigid rules, [this product] helped me build a realistic evening routine that actually sticks. The scientific backing is solid but presented in a way that doesn't feel like reading a textbook.”