Is It Too Late To Build An AI Wrapper App?

Is It Too Late to Build Another AI Rapper App?

The AI app gold rush has many indie developers dreaming big: "I'm going to build yet another AI rapper, make millions, buy a big house, a big car, maybe even two big houses!" This mindset has dominated the indie development space as AI rapper apps rake in serious profits on the App Store. But the burning question remains:

 Is it too late to jump on this trend?

Over the past few months, I've explored creating my own AI rappers, and the landscape is shifting dramatically. With Apple's iOS 18 set to integrate ChatGPT directly into iPhones, the future of standalone AI apps faces uncertainty. When everyone has an AI powerhouse in their pocket, will there still be a market for specialized AI rapper apps?

 First Movers vs. Second Wave Developers

With any new technology, there are always first movers – the true hackers of the indie scene who jump in because they love exploring new possibilities. They're pioneers, but their path comes with significant downsides:

- Total risk of failure

- Technology that might become obsolete quickly

- Competition that could cannibalize their product

- Consumer interest that might prove fleeting

Sometimes, it's advantageous to be in the second wave. You can observe which pioneers succeeded, which ones failed, and why. You can see who got "eaten by sharks" and who made it to shore with money bags, racing to buy their yachts and mansions.

My Personal Experience with AI Apps

Late last year, I built three AI wrapper apps:

- A fish identifier

- An insect identifier

- A vegan ingredient identifier

These apps use OpenAI's visual functionality. Users take photos of fish, insects, or food, which are sent to the OpenAI API with simple questions like "What fish is this?" or "What ingredient is this?"

After adding paywalls to these apps, I've been pleasantly surprised to see them generating about $400-$500 in weekly revenue combined. While this isn't the "millions" some are promising, it's not bad considering the development time. Creating three different AI wrapper apps took me roughly two weeks, potentially yielding about $23,000 annually – not a bad return for two weeks of work.

Is It Worth Building Another AI Rapper App?

If you're looking for a quick, fun side project to experiment with AI technology, go for it! Just set realistic expectations. Making $20,000 per year might be a reasonable goal rather than millions. If that sounds appealing, it could be worth your time.

I've created an AI rapper app, and you can download all the code from my GitHub (link in the description). If you use this code, tag me on Twitter, and I might feature your app in a future video if it's good!

 My Future Plans

While the hype cycle remains high and FOMO (fear of missing out) persists, my plan is to exit these apps and sell them. In a future video, I'll show you how to:

- Value an app

- Sell your app

- Position it effectively

- Complete due diligence

I'll document the entire process, so subscribe if you want to follow this journey.

Additional Context and Future Outlook

Despite my success, going forward, I personally won't be building another AI rapper app. We might be in the middle of a bubble, meaning the lifespan of apps in this space could be short-lived. The App Store is now saturated with similar applications.

If you're still interested in this space, consider alternative channels to generate users. It could be a good experiment to play around with, but I believe these thin AI wrappers are limited, oversaturated, and potentially in a bubble.

Instead, I'm shifting toward integrating AI into existing apps with established user bases. For example, my body measurement tracker app has months of user data (weight, height, muscle sizes). An AI agent trained on this data can provide a much more personalized experience that would be difficult for a standalone app to replicate.

This integration approach represents greater value than creating new thin AI wrappers. Even with Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT-enhanced Siri on the horizon, specialized AI integrated into data-rich apps may still offer unique value.

It's an exciting time to be in this space – whether in the first or second wave of these products. The innovation keeps me motivated and enthusiastic about building, implementing new functionality, and finding ways to monetize effectively.