Artificial intelligence in mobile apps

Chatbots, machine learning, and speech recognition software like Siri and Cortana—whichever form it takes, it’s clear AI is here to stay. And if that’s the case, should you use AI in your mobile app?

Some of today’s most popular apps, including Alexa, Pandora, Tinder, and Uber, all rely on artificial intelligence. These apps leverage AI in different ways and for various purposes, but all have one thing in common: they use AI to provide a higher value experience for customers.

As these app’s creators and others have discovered, AI can help you provide personalized recommendations, simplify your customers’ lives, increase engagement, and enhance the overall experience of using your app. Let’s look at the demand for artificial intelligence in mobile apps and discuss the benefits it offers for both you and your customers.

App users and AI: The demand for more personal experiences

Today’s customers expect a highly personalized experience, and if you want your app to stand out from the 2 million+ other ones out there, that’s exactly what you’ll give them.

So how does AI allow for more personalized experiences? For one thing, it allows you to gather and analyze customer data, like location and purchases, so you can tailor your users’ experiences. You can then provide recommendations and ads that cater to your users individual interests. This is especially helpful for retail brands, streaming services, and apps that rely on paid marketing. For example, Netflix uses AI to recommend new shows and movies based on a user’s watch history.

Chatbots are another way to personalize your customer’s experience. For example, retail brands use chatbots to learn about a user’s preferences and suggest relevant products. In health or dieting apps, chatbots ask users a series of questions about their symptoms or goals, then provide answers and tailor the user’s experience appropriately.

Why should you care about personalizing the user experience? Doing so can help boost sales, increase your customer retention rate, build brand loyalty, and improve engagement.

Benefits of artificial intelligence in mobile apps

In addition to personalizing the user experience, AI offers plenty of other benefits as well. Some of those include optimizing the user experience, expediting processes, making information more readily available, and enhancing and integrating photo and video content. Many of these benefits are possible through machine learning, also known as neural networks.

In terms of enhancing photo and video content, machine learning helps with image recognition, which enables automated photo tagging, image organization, and more. Machine learning also enables facial recognition and other functions that help with camera focusing and photo editing. These functions can help enhance apps that use photos or image editing and sharing.

Natural language recognition is another benefit of machine learning. Google Translate uses this function to provide immediate translation from one language to another. Smart replies and auto-completion of emails or text messages also rely on natural language recognition. The benefit of these services is that they reduce the workload on your users, save them time, and provide valuable information.

Another way to simplify your users’ lives is through voice recognition, also enabled by machine learning. Amazon’s Alexa not only allows for voice activated commands; it integrates with smart home devices, other applications, and even Ford vehicles, making it easier for users to find information, get things done, and multitask. Tools like Alexa, Siri, and Cortana also improve accessibility and provide a more enjoyable experience.

In fact, AI can go a long way toward making someone’s daily life easier. For example, if a smartphone user drives a certain route every weekday at 9 AM, AI can recognize that pattern and gather data about the drive. Then, when the user gets into their car at 9 AM on Monday, they might see a notification telling them how long it will take to reach their destination, and alerting them to any roadblocks or traffic conditions along the way.

How much can developing AI applications cost?

The cost of AI applications varies widely. A pre-built solution will be cheaper upfront, usually costing up to $40,000 per year. Of course, custom software will cost significantly more upfront, ranging from $6000 to $300,000.

So what affects the cost of AI applications? There are several factors. Firstly, it depends on which type of AI you want. A chatbot is generally going to cost less than a full data analysis system, for example.

It also depends on whether you choose a custom or off-the-shelf app solution. For example, HubSpot and Drift offer pre-built chatbots, and these are going to cost less upfront than a brand new, custom-built chatbot.

Then again, a custom solution may be the smarter option, and may lead to more long-term growth for your company, translating to higher profits. There may also be hidden costs associated with off-the-shelf solutions.

Another important cost factor is AI features. As with any app or software project, more features generally translate to a higher cost, and more complicated features are going to cost more than simpler ones. So if you want a chatbot that integrates with customer or marketing data, you’ll end up paying more than you would for just a simple chatbot.

AI software requires ongoing maintenance and management, so you’ll want to factor that into your cost as well. Outsourcing this service, as opposed to having your in-house team handle it, can save you money because you won’t have to pay costs associated with hiring, onboarding, and benefits.

Finally, your timeframe may also affect cost. If you’re on a tight schedule, you may need to hire more developers to complete the project. Of course, if your AI software is going to take a long time to build, that may end up costing you more as well, since it increases the number of hours your developers will be working.

Can your mobile app benefit from AI?

However you use AI, you can’t ignore the many benefits it offers you and your customers. More and more companies are recognizing AI not just as a valuable business tool, but as a means of reaching more customers and retaining their loyalty.

To recap, here are the top five reasons for using artificial intelligence in mobile apps:

• AI can help you analyze user behavior to increase engagement.
• AI can help you collect data to improve your business.
• AI can help you personalize the user experience.
• AI can help you keep up with the competition.
• AI can help your app integrate with the internet and other apps.

Want to harness the power of AI for your mobile app? Contact us to learn how Band of Coders can help.