ChatGPT Faces Backlash Over Military Deal
A user backlash is trending against OpenAI after it agreed to provide AI technology for U.S. military surveillance and weaponry. Many users are reportedly deleting their accounts in protest, with some publicly praising competitors like Claude as an ethical alternative.
The controversy follows OpenAI's quiet removal of a ban on "military and warfare" applications from its usage policy on January 10, 2024. The original policy, which prohibited "activity that has high risk of physical harm," was replaced with a more specific ban on using the technology to "develop or use weapons." This change paved the way for defense-related projects that do not directly involve weaponry. OpenAI's deal was announced just after its competitor, Anthropic, was dropped by the Pentagon. Anthropic refused a deal that would permit its AI, Claude, to be used for mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons without what it considered adequate safeguards. In response, the Trump administration ordered federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's technology and designated the company a "supply chain risk." In the wake of the OpenAI deal, ChatGPT uninstalls reportedly surged by 295%, while Anthropic's Claude saw a significant rise in downloads, topping the U.S. App Store charts. The backlash prompted a "delete ChatGPT" campaign on social media, with users accusing OpenAI of betraying its founding principles. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman admitted the deal's announcement was "opportunistic and sloppy" and was "rushed." In response to the criticism, OpenAI amended the agreement to add more explicit language prohibiting the use of its technology for domestic surveillance. Despite the amendments, critics point out the agreement still allows for military use as long as it is legal, leaving open possibilities should laws change. The revised contract also did not appear to address the issue of autonomous weapons. Nearly 900 employees from OpenAI and Google have signed an open letter calling for their companies to refuse to allow their technology to be used for surveillance and autonomous killing.
