On Monday, Apple announced the finalists for its prestigious “iPhone App of the Year” award, once again downplaying the influence of AI technology within the mobile app landscape. Similar to last year, Apple’s 2024 shortlist prioritizes more conventional iOS applications, highlighting tools designed to assist users with specific tasks. These include apps like Kino, for professional video recording, Runna, for customized running plans, and Tripsy, for travel organization. Absent from the list are prominent AI-driven apps such as ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and those for creating AI-generated photos or videos.
Considering ChatGPT’s popularity—enhanced by its partnership with Apple to improve Siri—it’s notable that the app received no year-end recognition from Apple’s editorial team. This is despite its introduction of innovative features in 2024, including Advanced Voice Mode for virtual assistant interaction and a web search tool competing with Google. While ChatGPT is often spotlighted in App Store and Google Play editorial selections, neither Apple nor Google named it an overall winner last year, despite its record-breaking growth, reaching 100 million users shortly after its 2023 launch. For 2024, Google awarded Partiful, a party-planning app, as its app of the year.
Although ChatGPT was overlooked, a few AI-powered apps appeared in Apple’s other finalist categories for iPad and Mac. Out of 45 finalists across various app and game categories, AI-driven apps were mentioned sparingly. For iPad App of the Year, Moises, which uses AI for music practice, was nominated alongside Bluey: Let’s Play and Procreate Dreams, an animation app. For Mac App of the Year, Adobe Lightroom, with AI-enabled features, joined productivity app OmniFocus 4 and 3D design tool Shapr 3D.
In the Cultural Impact category, only one app, the language-learning platform EF Hello, was explicitly described as AI-enhanced. While some finalists, like Pinterest, may utilize AI in their backend systems, Apple’s marketing doesn’t emphasize their AI components.
Apple’s curated list seems to favor apps that amplify human creativity over those reliant on AI automation. Many finalists focus on enabling users to design, organize, film, create, or play, leveraging their devices without depending heavily on AI features. For instance, Kino, developed by the team behind the Halide camera app, aims to elevate videography for all users, while other apps enhance productivity for creatives.
Additionally, this year Apple introduced a new Apple Vision Pro category, where both an app and a game winner will be chosen.