IMAGE CREDIT: STEFANI REYNOLDS/AGENCE FRANCEP/GETTY IMAGES
Consumer demand for AI chatbot experiences has led to millions of dollars being injected into mobile apps that advertise their association with ChatGPT or OpenAI technology. According to a new analysis of the AI app ecosystem data.ai analytics provider, consumers spent more than $14 million this year on the 10 highest-grossing apps that advertise their use of ChatGPT or OpenAI technology. And this demand is continuing to grow.
Together, these 10 apps accounted for nearly $5.9 million in global consumer spending in February 2023, the company said. In the first 20 days of March, the apps averaged $232,000 in daily consumer spending, up 11% from an average of $210,000 in February.
To be clear, integrating "AI" features and references to things like ChatGPT or OpenAI has been helping drive demand, as most apps give them very little before adding AI. For example, the same set of apps received just $1.6 million from global consumers in December 2022, with a total of 3.7 times that figure in February. The analysis shows that last month also increased by 55% from $3.8 million in January 2023.
Image source: data.ai
There is one exception to this trend: the app Pixelcut AI Photo Editor had been generating significant revenue until the launch of the "magic writer" copywriting tool using GPT in January 2023. In December 2022, the app generated $817,000 in revenue. According to data.ai estimates, its revenue fell slightly in February, to $813,000. Prior to January 1, 2023, Pixelcut generated $19.8 million in total sales worldwide, so it's still doing well.
In addition to the Pixelcut AI photo editor, data.ai's analysis includes the highest-grossing app, the Genie-AI chatbot; AI Chat - Chatbot AI assistant; AI Chatbot - Open Chat Writer; Apo-AI Personal Assistant; Chat AI Bot - Writing assistant; ChatOn-AI chatbot assistant; AI Chat - Ask any questions; Chat AI - Ask anything; and GoatChat. These apps all have similar names.
Of those, Genie generated the most revenue this year, spending $3.2 million globally so far in 2023. AI Chat and Pixelcut were the second and third top apps at $2.8 million and $2.2 million, respectively.
Image source: data.ai
The interesting thing about this set of apps is that, for the most part, no one is trying to establish their brand and identity to attract consumers. Instead, they're just filling the app's title with keywords to match the search terms people might use when looking for some kind of AI chatbot app. The consensus seems to be that words like "AI," "Chat," or "Chatbot" and "Assistant" will help drive downloads — and judging by the app's total revenue, they're probably right.
The apps in this group also rank highly in App Store searches for the term "OpenAI" we found — which shows how much interest OpenAI has ceded to the mobile app market because it doesn't have its own official mobile app. Last month, Semafor reported that the company was developing a mobile ChatGPT app that would allow mobile users to access AI from a dedicated mobile platform rather than an existing web interface. However, the company declined to comment on the report, so the current status of the project is unclear.
Apple, which plays the role of middleman, has also struggled to cope with the influx of AI-driven apps. In January, both the App Store and Google Play were flooded with dubious ChatGPT apps claiming to be connected with OpenAI in order to charge exorbitant subscription prices for access to ChatGPT — a service that's free over the web. One notable app, "ChatGPT Chat GPT AI With GPT-3," even made the App Store list before being removed by Apple.
Apple has been addressing this issue ever since. For example, an app developer, Hidde van der Ploeg, created an app that allowed you to interact with ChatGPT from an Apple Watch, but was rejected by the App Store for using "GPT" in the app's original name, WatchGPT. Instead of waiting for an appeal, he rebranded the app "Petey" and it was approved.
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Source: TechCrunch.com by Sarah Perez