AI Apps Saw Over $1 Billion In Consumer Spending In 2024

Consumer spending on apps is projected to reach $150 billion globally in 2024, up 13% from the prior year. It’s being fueled by a 200% surge in spending on generative AI apps like ChatGPT and Gemini, which collectively drew $1.1 billion. TechCrunch reports: If this rate of growth is sustained, this category of apps could move into the top 10 by consumer spending within a year, the firm notes. Though the release of new AI models, like OpenAI’s GPT-4o last summer, helped drive app revenue up to record numbers at times, consumer demand for AI apps was consistent throughout the year — not only during these peak surges. As a result, consumers spent nearly 7.7 billion hours using AI apps in 2024, while apps mentioning “AI” were also downloaded 17 billion times in the year.

ChatGPT alone reached 50 million monthly active users — faster than Temu, Disney+, or YouTube Music, for comparison. This indicates there’s still a growing appetite for AI apps and those with AI features.