OpenAI Sees User Backlash; Anthropic Gains

OpenAI's deal with the Pentagon, reportedly worth up to $200 million, will provide AI tools for a range of administrative and warfighting operations. This decision came shortly after competitor Anthropic refused a similar deal, citing concerns over the use of its AI for autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. In an internal all-hands meeting, CEO Sam Altman stated that once OpenAI's technology is delivered, the Department of Defense has control over its operational use. The backlash was swift, with data from Sensor Tower showing a 295% spike in uninstalls of the ChatGPT mobile app on the Saturday following the announcement. In contrast, installs for Anthropic's Claude surged 37% on Friday and another 51% on Saturday, briefly overtaking ChatGPT as the top free app in the U.S. App Store. The controversy prompted nearly 900 employees from OpenAI and Google to sign an open letter urging their companies to reject military contracts for surveillance and autonomous weapons. In response to the criticism, Sam Altman acknowledged the rollout of the deal looked "opportunistic and sloppy" and announced OpenAI would amend the contract. The revised terms aim to explicitly prohibit the use of its AI for mass domestic surveillance and by intelligence agencies like the NSA. Despite the amendments, some critics and even an OpenAI research scientist have publicly questioned if the deal was worth the damage to the company's reputation. Capitalizing on the moment, Anthropic has been aggressively courting disillusioned OpenAI users. The company recently made its "Memory" feature, which allows Claude to remember context across conversations, free for all users—a feature previously behind a paywall. It also launched the Anthropic Academy, offering free AI courses on topics ranging from basic "Claude 101" to advanced developer modules on the Claude API, complete with certificates upon completion.