AI Assistants Are Moving Into Messaging Apps. Monetization Needs to Follow.
Mike ChoiThe Koah EPD team just wrapped our Q3 retro. What stood out the most was how much the consumer AI industry has changed in just three months. Developers keep finding new places to put AI assistants. They're showing up in travel products, traditional websites, and even terminals. More recently, assistants have started moving into the messaging apps we use every day.
This week, we've shared some of the products our team has been working on to support developers where they are pushing the boundaries of AI services. Monday was our status page. Tuesday was Koah SDK 1.0. Yesterday, we announced support for AI coding platforms.
Today, we're opening a pilot for AI assistants inside messaging apps.
Assistants Have Entered the Chat
Companies like Instinct and Town are building AI assistants that you can access in iMessage or WhatsApp as if you are texting a friend. You don't need to download another app or figure out a new interface. You send a message and start using the product.
For developers, though, there's still a bill attached to those conversations. Every token costs money to generate. Subscriptions help, but according to studies, around 98% of users don't become paying subscribers. Developers still have to cover the cost of serving them, especially if users keep coming back.
We started Koah to help developers earn money as their AI products grow, without needing every user to pay for a subscription. They need a viable revenue model from day 0. Otherwise, there is no path to scale.
Pilot Program
A messaging app is a personal place. An assistant's messages sit alongside conversations with your friends and family. If it starts sending you irrelevant ads, you'll probably mute the thread.
Our developers depend on people wanting to use their products, and we take that seriously. We're starting with a limited set of partners so we can work closely on how the ads fit into their apps. We want to help these products pay their bills while keeping them enjoyable to use.
"We are looking for ways to monetize and Koah is a leader in AI monetization. We trust them to build with us and find formats that actually fit the feel of our product, so it makes the experience better overall." ā Cliff Simmons, Pilot Partner
How the Unit Works
Our message app ads use link previews, powered by just-in-time Open Graph rendering to dynamically create beautiful ads, directly inside the thread. If you've ever shared a link with a friend and seen it turn into a preview card, you already know the format. Developers control the dimensions and placement, so they can customize the ads to their product.
We work with high-quality advertisers and use the context of the conversation to show relevant ads, without relying on cookies or third-party profiles. We want users to see an ad and understand why it's there. It should relate to what they're asking the assistant to help with.
For now, we're keeping this pilot small, so we can work through the details with our partners and pay attention to how their users respond.
If you're building an assistant inside a messaging app, or working on something that doesn't quite fit the usual ad formats, come talk to us. We'd love to hear what you're making.
