In June 2007, Apple introduced the first iPhone, featuring an App Store exclusively for approved applications. This decision, however, excluded educators from incorporating burgeoning mobile app development into education. Simultaneously, Hal Abelson, an MIT professor on sabbatical at Google, was contemplating Google’s response to Apple’s grip on the mobile software market. Both Abelson and Google recognised the potential for an easy-to-use, open-source alternative to Apple’s walled garden: App Inventor.
Allying with Google software engineer Mark Friedman, Abelson initiated the “Young Android” project, later renamed “Google App Inventor”. They built a visual, block-based programming language. Similar to coding platforms Scratch and Logo, App Inventor allowed users to assemble pre-existing “blocks” of code and build simple mobile apps without the need to learn cryptic programming syntax. This innovative approach to teaching young coders soon attracted more than 70,000 educators and hundreds of thousands of students.
In 2010, aware that Google’s backing would eventually dwindle, the team negotiated the migration of App Inventor to MIT. The transition demanded significant resources to redevelop the programme without Google’s proprietary software, but collaboration between MIT and Google continued to ensure access to the necessary network resources.
Despite initial concerns, support from MIT’s enterprise architect Jeffrey Schiller and others ensured the platform’s ongoing success. Over time, App Inventor’s extensive user base has created more than 100 million projects and registered over 20 million users.
Today, App Inventor’s sustainability relies on the App Inventor Foundation, established in 2022. The foundation’s mission is to ensure equitable access to educational resources. This has meant a swift shift toward AI education that maintains App Inventor’s commitment to being a free, accessible platform for mobile devices.
Inside MIT, App Inventor now forms part of the MIT RAISE Initiative (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education). The initiative promotes the integration and adoption of App Inventor within a diverse array of communities, events and funding sources. Upcoming events include the inaugural AI and Education Summit in July 2022, featuring a Global AI Hackathon that challenges participants to use App Inventor in creating AI tools.
The last decade of App Inventor’s existence has seen an upsurge in opportunities for mobile applications due to AI technologies. The goal, however, remains the same: to democratise mobile app development and empower people of all ages to utilise this technology as a vehicle for creativity and innovation.
