The New Trend AI Whispers

Personal Mini-Apps Are At Our Door!

Imagine this morning, as you sipped your coffee, an idea popped into your head: "I wish there was an app to solve this little problem!" In the past, you'd either have to find a developer or spend hours learning to code. But not anymore! Thanks to artificial intelligence, these "I wish" moments are becoming reality, much easier than you'd think. As EdTech Turkey, we can't wait to tell you about the latest trend of the AI era: personal mini-apps!

So, What Exactly Are These Mini-Apps?

So, what exactly are these things we call mini-apps? In short, they are small software solutions that you create yourself, designed for instant solutions to a specific need for you personally or for a narrow circle of your acquaintances. It's like opening a notebook for a project, but much smarter. Moreover, these aren't meant to be sold to millions; they exist solely to simplify your life and that of your small circle. And when the need is gone... poof! They disappear.

You don't need to be an expert programmer to develop these applications. Like magic, thanks to AI tools, you can create your own app without mastering coding languages. They call this "vibe coding" (coding via artificial intelligence without mastering programming languages). While most people develop simple web applications, some even create mobile solutions that will only run on their own phones. Incredible, isn't it?

From Temporary Games to Meal Suggestions: Life-Saving Small Solutions

Look at these examples: Entrepreneur Jordi Amat, speaking to TechCrunch, developed a simple web game for his family to play on vacation. Vacation over? The app shut down too. Another user, Rebecca Yu, developed a meal suggestion app in just seven days to put an end to her friend group's "What should we eat?" dilemma. An app from scratch with the help of Claude and ChatGPT! Needs-based, fast, and practical!

Legand L. Burge III, Professor of Computer Science at Howard University, perfectly summarizes why this trend is on the rise: "These tools that don't require strong coding knowledge have paved the way for mini-apps." According to him, these applications are software that are "extremely context-specific, address niche needs, and disappear when the need ceases to exist." Just like trends that emerge and vanish on social media, but this time, the software itself is changing. A brilliant analogy, isn't it?

What's Different Now? Mobile Freedom is at Your Fingertips!

Actually, it was possible to develop web applications without knowing how to code in the past. But now we are in a completely different era. We can easily create these temporary and personal applications for mobile devices too. What's more, you can now write code by describing what you want in your ordinary, everyday language. This is a development that completely changes the rules of the game!

Christina Melas-Kyriazi, a partner at Bain Capital Ventures, compares this situation to the rise of social media or Shopify. Just as everyone can become a content creator or open an online store, personal applications are paving the way for small-scale yet creative solutions. It's truly a creativity explosion!

Advantages and Potential Challenges

So, are there no hitches at all? Of course, there are. These applications can sometimes be costly, especially on the mobile side when subscriptions like an Apple Developer account are required to install apps on iPhones. The process can still take some time. And, of course, quality and security are important issues. Since personal applications may have bugs or security vulnerabilities, offering them directly to large audiences is risky for now. However, remember, AI models are constantly evolving; we will overcome these issues too.

Google is Also Aware of This Trend: Disco Browser is Coming!

Major players are also aware of this trend. Google recently launched an experimental project focused on mini-apps. The AI-powered browser called Disco, developed by the Chrome team, automatically opens relevant tabs with a user's command and creates personalized mini-apps it calls GenTabs. GenTabs is a feature that generates instant, interactive interfaces using the capabilities of Google's Gemini 3 model. So, it's not just text, but instant applications! The future is truly here!

In summary, artificial intelligence is no longer just building complex systems; it's entering all our pockets and lives, offering small but effective solutions. This personal revolution will also open brand new doors in the field of education technologies. Students could have an instant study app for a topic, teachers a quick assessment tool... Our imagination has no limits!

EdTech Turkey Editor Note

This "mini-apps" trend truly holds transformative potential in the world of education technologies. The ability for individuals to now create instant, personalized tools according to their own learning styles or teaching needs can stretch traditional educational paradigms. This development is paving the way for accelerating innovation and making educational materials more accessible and flexible.