AI is Everywhere: Apps Mentioning AI were Downloaded 7.5 Billion Times in H1 2025

The spread of AI to every app category creates unparalleled opportunities for creative improvement. Developers face a clear choice: innovate through AI to elevate the user experience, or risk falling behind competitors. Sensor Tower’s State of AI Apps Report 2025 highlights how apps across verticals are embracing AI to improve the user experience. Want even deeper visibility into this space? Request a demo of our AI Chatbot Insights to see the full picture.

AI Has Spread Across Mobile Verticals

From 2015-2019, AI was mostly used in mobile games rather than apps. This dynamic fundamentally shifted following the release of ChatGPT in 2022, which triggered a surge in 2023 in the number of apps mentioning AI-related terms like "AI," "machine learning," or "LLM." Software is the clear non-game leader in AI integration (including AI Assistant and AI Content Generator apps). Meanwhile, Health & Wellness, Jobs & Education, Lifestyle & Services, and Financial Services all had more than 200 apps add AI terms (or release with these terms) in the first half of 2025. This widespread adoption is particularly evident in subgenres like Photo Editing, Test Prep & Studying, Translation, Nutrition & Diet, Language Education, and Video Editing.

As the number of apps mentioning AI has surged, so too have downloads, reflecting strong consumer demand for creative applications of AI in their mobile experiences. Apps incorporating AI were downloaded 7.5 billion times in H1 2025, constituting roughly 10% of all downloads during that period. This also represents a significant 52% year-over-year increase in downloads for these AI-enhanced applications.

Delving deeper, specific subgenres are spearheading this rapid growth. For instance, within the Health & Wellness category, downloads for Nutrition & Diet and Medical Tracking apps that mention AI are experiencing a substantial surge. This trend highlights how consumers are increasingly embracing AI for practical and creative uses in their daily lives.

Unsurprisingly, apps that added terms like "AI" or "LLM" to their app names or descriptions experienced a notable boost in downloads over the subsequent months. The median downloads among the sample climbed 2.9% in the month that the term was added. These apps also maintained some of these gains, with median growth holding at 4.1% for the following two months after the AI term was incorporated.

Of course, not all of these gains can be attributed solely to App Store Optimization (ASO) benefits from adding AI-related terms. Many of these apps likely also introduced new AI features, which appealed to new consumers. Interestingly, the boost observed from adding AI terms appears to be stronger on iOS than on Google Play.

Discover How Top Apps in Your Vertical are Integrating AI

AI's influence now extends far beyond chatbots within the mobile app ecosystem. In fact, the term "AI" appears over 100,000 times in app descriptions across both iOS and Google Play. While many of the top associated terms are generic, such as "AI-powered" and "AI technology," others directly link to specific functionalities like "AI translator," and "AI character."

Beyond these broad categories, numerous specific AI use cases are highlighted in app descriptions, pointing to diverse application types. For instance, calorie counters and nutrition apps frequently mention terms like "scanner," "calorie," "recipe," or "food." Art and photo editing apps often feature AI-driven capabilities such as "tattoo," "cartoon," "hair," "gallery," and "avatars." Meanwhile, AI assistants commonly reference terms like "coaching," "mentor," "teacher," "agents," and "support," reflecting their role in guidance and assistance.

Apps across all mobile verticals continue to roll-out new AI features, and monitoring the latest ways apps in your vertical are incorporating AI can help you keep up with the competition. For example, AI-powered calorie scanners are becoming a must-have for Nutrition & Diet apps, while Language Education apps are adding the ability to speak with AI in real-time to practice conversation skills.

Want More Insights on the Latest in AI? Read the Full Report

Read the State of AI Apps Report 2025 covering the latest on how AI is reshaping the mobile and digital advertising spaces, spanning 24 markets in a dynamic, interactive format covering:

• Audience Insights: See how the audience for AI has changed rapidly over the past few years and understand how to support demand for new user cases

• AI Across Verticals: AI is everywhere on mobile. See how top apps are adapting, proactively adding AI features to ward off competition from AI Assistants like ChatGPT.

• App Store Optimization: Discover the latest strategies to boost organic discovery, from screenshots to keywords to custom product pages

• Advertising Trends: Digital ad spend from Generative AI brands is picking up as top players compete for new users

• Advertising Strategies: Find out how top AI Assistants are trying to reach a more casual audience