In a surprising move, tech giants Apple and Google have intentionally excluded artificial intelligence applications, including the widely popular “ChatGPT,” from their list of the best apps for this year. TechCrunch reported that both Apple and Google announced today their top apps and games of the year; notably, the AllTrails hiking and biking app won Apple’s iPhone App of the Year for 2023, while the educational app Imprint: Learn Visually clinched the top spot on Google Play. Simultaneously, Apple and Google agreed on the Game of the Year, selecting Honkai: Star Rail as the winner.
Year-end “best of” lists are more than just a tool to draw attention to new apps and games. They serve as a barometer for app market trends, showcasing what the platforms themselves celebrate and what has captured consumer interest in 2023.
It’s particularly noteworthy that neither Apple nor Google chose ChatGPT as the best app of the year, despite the mobile app’s remarkable success, among others. ChatGPT had previously become the fastest-growing app in history earlier this year when it reached 100 million users shortly after its launch. This record was later broken by Instagram Threads, which hit 100 million users in just five days. As of October, it still maintains an active user base of just under 100 million.
This omission is particularly striking given ChatGPT’s rapid rise and significant impact on the tech world. ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has been a game-changer in the field of AI, offering users conversational AI capabilities unprecedented in both scope and accessibility. Its exclusion raises questions about the criteria and considerations behind Apple’s and Google’s selections.
The decision to leave out AI apps like ChatGPT suggests a possible shift in the tech industry’s focus or an underlying strategy of the tech giants. It highlights the evolving landscape of app markets, where innovative technology sometimes competes with more traditional, user-friendly applications for recognition.
As we move forward, it will be interesting to see how AI applications continue to develop and whether they will gain more recognition in the mainstream app markets. The evolving dynamics between AI innovation and consumer-oriented apps present a fascinating glimpse into the future of technology and its integration into our daily lives.
