Late Thursday night, Apple approved and published 5 Movies, an iPhone app likely generated almost entirely by ChatGPT.
Morten Just, an independent Mac app developer from Switzerland, guided ChatGPT to create a movie-recommendation app.
According to Just, he simply conveyed to the AI what he desired and then inserted its output into an Xcode project, with only an estimated 2% to 5% of the code being self-written. The chatbot even identified and corrected bugs as Just copied in error messages.
The critical aspect for Just is creating useful software that solves genuine problems. When his 5 Movies app became available, Just told reporters, “If I can accomplish that more quickly with AI, I will.”
Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Midjourney are advancing rapidly, providing users with astonishingly powerful tools that can create anything from essays to artwork. Projects like Morten Just’s demonstrate the potential of AI to transform coding into a turnkey operation that even amateurs can utilize.
Morten was able to produce a workable prototype of his app in a matter of minutes without having to search for an API or examine its documentation.
After discovering that ChatGPT could write code quite well, people began challenging it to construct web applications and other amusing tools. This iPhone app is the first one written almost entirely by ChatGPT to make it through Apple’s often challenging app review process.
When Morten’s tweets went viral, people understandably questioned whether his ChatGPT-generated app was genuinely the first of its kind. However, Just’s claim is justified since Just had not come across any such apps, and no one had directed him to any app listings that proved otherwise.
As AI-assisted coding tools become increasingly advanced and ubiquitous, some may wonder if pursuing a career in computer science is worthwhile. Morten Just, on the other hand, believes otherwise.
“I believe we will require even more CS graduates,” he stated. “I believe the nature of CS work will shift, but it will become more engaging and satisfying. At least for now, AI is an excellent collaborator – a real helper for the programmer, not a replacement.”
Morten has gained recognition for his Mac utilities, Rotato and Flotato, which he self-publishes through his company, Otato. However, this is not his initial appearance on the App Store. He revealed that he had “released a few iOS apps a few years ago while learning Swift,” including Duplicato, a tool for writers to improve their writing skills.
With the App Store being in existence for almost 15 years, how does it feel to create a new first in minutes using ChatGPT? “I honestly don’t think it’s that significant of an achievement,” Morten Just replied.
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