ChatGPT uninstalls jump 295% after OpenAI DoD deal, Claude tops US app store
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Uninstalls of ChatGPT surged by 295 per cent on February 28 following news of OpenAI’s deal with the US Department of Defence, according to app intelligence data from Sensor Tower.
The spike marked a sharp rise from the chatbot’s usual day-over-day uninstall rate of around 9 per cent over the past 30 days.
The backlash also reflected in user ratings, with a reported 775 per cent increase in one-star reviews on Saturday and a further 100 per cent rise on Sunday. Five-star ratings fell by 50 per cent over the same period.
Downloads in the US declined as well, dropping 13 per cent day over day on Saturday, followed by a further 5 per cent fall on Sunday.
In contrast, downloads of rival app Claude developed by Anthropic rose sharply, climbing 37 per cent on February 27 and 51 per cent on February 28 in the US. Claude reached the number one spot on the US App Store on Saturday after being ranked 20 places lower a week earlier.
Anthropic chief Dario Amodei had stated that the company would not partner with the US defence department, citing opposition to the use of artificial intelligence for domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. He said AI was not yet ready to be safely deployed for such purposes.
Meanwhile, OpenAI chief Sam Altman confirmed the agreement, stating that the company had reached a deal to deploy its models in a classified government network and that safety remained a priority.
