Over 150 AI chatbot apps launched in Q1, user spending up 4,000%

After the ChatGPT success, apps with the term `AI Chatbot` or `AI Chat` in either their app name, subtitle, or description on both Google and Apple app stores have increased a whopping 1,480 per cent (year-over-year) in the first quarter this year.

According to analytics firm Apptopia, just this year (through March), 158 such apps have arrived on the app stores.

Downloads of AI chatbot apps increased 1,506 per cent, and in-app purchase (IAP) revenue surged 4,184 per cent, year-over-year, in the first quarter.

"The public launch of OpenAI`s ChatGPT product has created a consumer-facing artificial intelligence gold rush, including in the realm of mobile apps," said Adam Blacker, VP, Insights at Apptopia.

The top 10 AI chatbot apps were responsible for 52 per cent of all AI chatbot app downloads and 72 per cent of their IAP revenue in Q1 2023.

"Like most of these apps, Genie generates revenue by charging users to uncap the app`s usage. Genie is the second most downloaded and second highest revenue-generating AI chatbot app so far in 2023," Blacker informed.

Most of these apps are made by independent developers and are eventually likely to be surpassed by bigger brands like Microsoft and Google due to their marketing power and brand familiarity.

Microsoft`s search app has already been rebranded as Bing -- Your AI copilot.

Since the announcement of its integration with Open AI`s ChatGPT, Bing`s average daily downloads have increased by 1,000 per cent, the report mentioned.