AI Video Tools Are Eating Photo & Video Category — And The Data Backs It Up
Been tracking the US App Store top charts daily for the past couple weeks, and this week's movements are honestly pretty wild. Thought I'd share what I'm seeing in case others are noticing similar things.
AI video/creation tools are cannibalizing traditional photo & video editors at an insane rate right now.
Over the past 48 hours (May 7-9), I've watched at least 3 AI-native apps jump 50-100+ spots in Photo & Video top charts. One went from unranked to Top 15 in what looks like a single refresh cycle.
Meanwhile, some apps that've been sitting comfortably in the Top 5-10 for years quietly slid 2-4 positions. No major app updates, no scandals — just a slow bleed as the algo seems to be favoring AI-featured tools more aggressively.
Keyword Volume Shift
I cross-referenced this with keyword search data. Some numbers:
- "AI video generator" search volume is up another ~25-30% week-over-week. This trend's been accelerating since the iOS 27 drop in early May.
- A handful of apps that integrated Gemini API or similar LLM hooks saw their keyword coverage expand by 15-20 long-tail terms in the last 7 days alone. Organic installs are following.
- But here's the catch — keyword difficulty is spiking. CPI for "AI video maker" keywords has gone up probably 40%+ compared to a month ago. If you're a small team trying to buy your way into that space with Apple Search Ads rn, you're gonna have a bad time.
The Other Thing I Noticed
Not getting enough attention IMO — Apple's editorial team rotated their Today cards heavily this week. Two days running they featured mid-sized narrative/indie titles instead of the usual AAA mobile games. Those featured games saw a 30-50 position boost within 24 hours. One indie RPG jumped straight into Top 10.
This keeps happening. Editorial features still drive more efficient growth than UA campaigns, but most devs treat it like a lottery instead of something you can actually optimize for.
Sports Apps Starting To Creep
Also worth noting — with the World Cup ~40 days out, we're starting to see early movement. ESPN and BETMGM ticked up in Top Grossing. "World Cup betting" keyword search is up 15-20% week-over-week from a low base. Some score-tracking utility apps are climbing 5-10 spots in Google Play Sports. Could be ASO teams front-running the spike. Or could be nothing yet.
What This Probably Means
- If you're in photo/video and haven't added any AI features yet, the clock's ticking. Organic visibility is already shifting in favor of apps that have them.
- For sports/betting apps: the next 2-3 weeks are probably the last window to lock in keyword rankings before World Cup volume explodes. After that, CPI is gonna go nuts.
- Indie game devs: Apple editorial picks are still the best ROI you can get. Maybe worth spending time on pitch assets instead of another AB test.
Anyone else seeing this in their categories? Curious if the AI tool bleed is hitting other verticals too, or if it's mostly concentrated in photo/video.
