“Tonight, we reached an agreement with the Department of War to deploy our models in their classified network,” OpenAI's Sam Altman wrote in an X post on Feb. 28 — the very day the U.S., along with Israel, began its operations in Iran. However, in an about-face of sorts, Altman has admitted in another post that he was wrong in jumping the gun.
“We shouldn't have rushed to get this out. The issues are super complex, and demand clear communication. We were genuinely trying to de-escalate things and avoid a much worse outcome, but I think it just looked opportunistic and sloppy,” Altman wrote today.
However, the damage was already done.
ChatGPT Faces Massive Backlash Following DoW Deal
Altman's announcement about the partnership with the U.S. Department of War (earlier Department of Defense) was followed by swift action from ChatGPT users in the form of a massive boycott and a sharp increase in uninstalls of the ChatGPT app.
Market intelligence firm Sensor Tower reported that U.S. uninstalls of ChatGPT surged 295% on Feb. 28 compared to the previous day, far exceeding the app's typical day-over-day uninstall rate of about 9% over the past month. Meanwhile, downloads of ChatGPT in the U.S. declined by 13% on Saturday and another 5% on Sunday.
Anthropic Stood Its Ground — And So Did Users
Anthropic, on the other hand, publicly declined a potential DoW deal due to ethical concerns. The company cited worries that current AI models are not sufficiently safe for applications involving surveillance or autonomous weapons, emphasising the need to avoid uses that could undermine democratic values.
Anthropic's high ground struck a chord with users.
Sensor Tower data indicated that U.S. downloads of Claude increased by 37% on Feb. 27, followed by a massive 51% jump on Feb. 28. Appfigures data showed an even steeper 88% rise on Feb. 28, adding that Claude overtook ChatGPT in U.S. downloads for the first time.
The surge propelled Claude to the pole position on the U.S. App Store's free apps chart on Feb. 28, a jump of more than 20 spots from a week earlier.
Shift In User Sentiment Over AI's Military Applications
Users expressed dissatisfaction to ChatGPT through feedback as well. ChatGPT's App Store ratings suffered, with Sensor Tower noting a 775% spike in one-star reviews on Feb. 28 and another 100% increase on Feb. 29.
Even as Altman “re-posted” that “we are going to amend our deal” and “our services will not be used by Department of War intelligence agencies,” the events highlighted a shift in user sentiment towards AI companies' stance on military and ethical applications. For most, AI companies offering their ‘artificial intelligence' in war was a big no.
As one user posted: “No amount of damage control is going to fix the irreparable harm you did to your brand this week. It's over, Sam.”
Also read: Claude Down: Why Is AI Chatbot Not Working? Here's What Anthropic Says
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