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📄 📗Editorial Introduction │ 🌍Public

Appification in the Age of AI

By: ✍️F. N. van der Vlist & E. J. T. Weltevrede │ On: 🕓2025, May 28 │ In: 📗Appification in the Age of AI: Exploring AI App Cultures and Economies (ASI Sprint Report Series No. 2), 6–24 │ DOI: 🔗10.17605/osf.io/hv34x

📂App Studies and AI As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life and digital environments, its presence in applications (‘apps’) warrants closer examination. This report explores what we call the ‘appification of AI’&emdash;the process by which AI technologies are embedded into daily life and practices via apps and app ecosystems. Drawing on insights from app studies, platform studies, and critical AI studies, the report investigates how different kinds of AI apps and app ecosystems&emdash;whether marketed as applications, ‘agents’, ‘solutions’, custom models, ‘GPTs’, or other forms&emdash;are shaping user experiences, business models, and digital infrastructures. It maps the rapidly expanding landscape of AI apps across multiple spheres, from generative AI mobile apps and chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT to enterprise-focused AI tools distributed through cloud AI marketplaces. Combining app ecosystem analysis and a ‘multi-situated’ approach to app studies and collaborating with Master’s students, the report presents a series of mappings and case studies that highlight how AI apps are reshaping different sectors and spheres of everyday life. Ultimately, the report underscores the significance of critical app and platform studies in understanding the cultural, economic, and political dimensions of AI technology across various application contexts and cases.

🏷appification 🏷app studies 🏷artificial intelligence (AI) 🏷app ecosystems 🏷app stores 🏷mobile apps 🏷AI app cultures 🏷political economy 🏷data-sprinting

ℹNote: This article is the editorial introduction of Appification in the Age of AI: Exploring AI App Cultures and Economies, a report in the App Studies Initiative (ASI) Sprint Report Series edited by F. N. van der Vlist and E. J. T. Weltevrede. Contributions represent the research undertaken by students as part of the 2024–2025 Master’s elective course ‘Appification: The Cultures and Economies of Apps’ during its concluding themed ‘data sprint’, and the Cultural Data & AI Master’ Embedded Research Project ‘The Appification of AI: Exploring Emerging AI App Ecosystems and Infrastructures’, both developed, taught, and supervised by the editors in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam. All contributors are listed in the Contributors section of the report.

Access: ↪ 🔓 🔗Access [appstudies.org] Download: ↪ 🔓 📥Download [PDF]

📋 ✍Cite

📋Cite (APA) van der Vlist, F. N., & Weltevrede, E. J. T. (Eds.) (2025, May 28). Appification in the Age of AI: Exploring AI App Cultures and Economies (ASI Sprint Report Series No. 2). App Studies Initiative (ASI). DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/hv34x. https://appstudies.org/research-output/publications/asi-sprint-report-series/.
📋Cite (Introduction) van der Vlist, F. N., & Weltevrede, E. J. T. (2025, May 28). Appification in the Age of AI [Editorial Introduction]. In F. N. van der Vlist & E. J. T. Weltevrede (Eds.), Appification in the Age of AI: Exploring AI App Cultures and Economies (ASI Sprint Report Series No. 2). App Studies Initiative (ASI), pp. 6–24. DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/hv34x. https://appstudies.org/research-output/publications/asi-sprint-report-series/.
🔗Link (DOI)
Kind Sprint Report; Editorial
Author F. N. van der Vlist; E. J. T. Weltevrede
Publication Date 2025, May 28
Series Title ASI Sprint Report Series
Report Number 2
Editor F. N. van der Vlist; E. J. T. Weltevrede
Pages 6–24 (20)
Publisher App Studies Initiative (ASI)
Identifier 10.17605/osf.io/hv34x [self]; 10.17605/osf.io/hv34x [part of]; https://appstudies.org/research-output/publications/asi-sprint-report-series/ [part of]
Download asi-sprint-report-no-2-appification-in-the-age-of-ai.pdf
License CC BY 4.0

Table of Contents

appification-in-the-age-of-ai.pdf#page=4 Title Page p. ii 📄Front Matter 🌍Public
appification-in-the-age-of-ai.pdf#page=6 Contents p. iv 📄Front Matter 🌍Public
appification-in-the-age-of-ai.pdf#page=7 About this Report p. v 📄Front Matter 🌍Public
appification-in-the-age-of-ai.pdf#page=8
├ Page: appification-in-the-age-of-ai.html
├ Part of OSF DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/hv34x
 └ Part of URL: appstudies.org
 [Chapter 1] Appification in the Age of AI
✍️F. N. van der Vlist & E. J. T. Weltevrede		 pp. 6–24 📄 📗Editorial Introduction

Embedded Research Project

appification-in-the-age-of-ai.pdf#page=28 [Chapter 2] The Appification of AI:
Exploring Emerging AI App Ecosystems and Infrastructures
✍S. Dingeç, J. Doherty, T. Martins Adami, A. Weinstein-Wright, X. Yang
👓F. N. van der Vlist [PI], E. J. T. Weltevrede [Co-PI], & A. Helmond [Co-I]		 pp. 26–94 📄Section 🌍Public

Spring Sprint

appification-in-the-age-of-ai.pdf#page=99 [Chapter 3] Worshipping (Through) AI:
How AI Is Appifying Religious Practices
✍Z. Ľudviková, A. Papastylou, H. van Steenis, V. Strandvik, F. Vitello, & K. Vizoli		 pp. 96–117 📄Chapter 🌍Public
appification-in-the-age-of-ai.pdf#page=120 [Chapter 4] AI and the Appification of Education
✍C. Sucuoğlu		 pp. 118–134 📄Chapter 🌍Public
appification-in-the-age-of-ai.pdf#page=137 [Chapter 5] From Travel Agent to App:
AI and Appification in the Travel Sector
✍H. Ding, T. Guo, A. Hohwü-Christensen, X. Hu, Z. Li, & L. van Wijlick		 pp. 135–163 📄Chapter 🌍Public
appification-in-the-age-of-ai.pdf#page=166 Contributors pp. 164–167 📄Back Matter 🌍Public

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