OpenAI and Anthropic have been trending all over the internet. While OpenAI is all over the news due to its recent deal with the U.S. Department of Defense, Anthropic is also trending because the Pentagon has blacklisted it. The reason? The Pentagon wanted unrestricted access to Anthropic’s tech, which it may have used for mass surveillance and autonomous weaponry. But, the company refused to give such access to the government. That said, a Wall Street Journal report suggests that even after blacklisting Anthropic, the DoD used the company’s tech to launch an attack on Iran.
ChatGPT downloads plunge amid rising user backlash
Speaking of the deal with DoD, OpenAI is facing massive backlash from users around the globe. Hashtags like #CancelChatGPT and #QuitGPT are trending online, with many users even urging others to cancel their ChatGPT subscriptions. That strong response is also showing in the U.S., where app uninstalls jumped nearly 300% on February 28. That’s not all; data from market intelligence firms shows ChatGPT’s download growth also slowed significantly.
After trending up 14% day-over-day on Friday, downloads dropped 13% on Saturday and continued to fall slightly on Sunday. User ratings are also reflecting the backlash, with 1-star reviews jumping over 775% on Saturday and five-star reviews dropping by half.
Meanwhile, Anthropic’s Claude AI saw a massive spike in U.S. downloads following the news. Downloads increased by 37% on Friday and 51% on Saturday after Anthropic confirmed it would not partner with the DoD. That’s not all; Claude’s App Store ranking jumped over 20 spots in a week, reaching No. 1 in the U.S. on Saturday and holding that spot into Monday, March 2.
Claude tops charts as AI ethics influence user choices
As reported by TechCrunch, Appfigures also noted that Claude’s U.S. downloads exceeded ChatGPT’s for the first time on Saturday. The app has also jumped to the top free iPhone charts in six additional countries, including Germany, Canada, and Switzerland. All in all, this suggests political decisions and AI ethics can influence consumer behavior. While ChatGPT faces pushback over defense ties, Claude is benefiting from its stance against military partnerships.
