ChatGPT uninstalls surge 300% after Pentagon deal sparks outrage
What's the story
OpenAI's decision to partner with the US Department of Defense (DoD) has led to a major backlash from American users. According to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, uninstalls of the ChatGPT app surged by an unprecedented 295% on February 28. This is a huge jump from the usual day-over-day uninstall rate of around 9% over the last month.
Market shift
Anthropic's stance boosts its app downloads
The data indicates that a large number of users were not happy with OpenAI's partnership with the defense agency. Meanwhile, its competitor Anthropic capitalized on the moment. The company announced that it had turned down a potential deal with the US defense department over ethical concerns about AI surveillance and autonomous weapons. This stance resonated with many consumers, leading to a 37% rise in downloads of Anthropic's Claude app on February 27 and an additional 51% jump on February 28.
App success
Claude tops the US App Store
The surge in downloads propelled Claude to the top spot on the US App Store on Saturday, a leap of over 20 positions from just a week earlier. The app has also topped the free charts in several countries including Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway and Switzerland. This is a clear indication of how consumers are reacting to OpenAI's defense partnership and its implications for AI technology.
Rating drop
Spike in negative reviews for ChatGPT
The backlash against OpenAI's defense partnership wasn't just limited to app uninstalls. Sensor Tower also reported a 775% spike in one-star reviews for ChatGPT on Saturday, followed by another 100% rise on Sunday. Five-star ratings also dropped by half during the same period. In addition to this, downloads of ChatGPT in the US declined after the announcement of its DoD partnership with a 13% day-over-day fall on Saturday and another 5% fall on Sunday.