After dispute with Pentagon – Claude overtakes ChatGPT in App Store

After the Pentagon parted ways with Anthropic over a dispute over the weekend, the popularity of the Anthropic AI Claude has measurably increased. It has now overtaken ChatGPT in Apple's App Store for the first time, including in Germany.

Since Monday, Anthropic's chatbot has been number one in the App Store charts in Germany. In the USA, Claude had already overtaken ChatGPT on Saturday. While ChatGPT remains at the top of the German Google Play Store, Claude has also seen a significant increase in downloads. In the USA, however, Claude has now moved past ChatGPT there as of Wednesday.

Claude's download numbers have risen by 51 percent at times, while OpenAI's ChatGPT has been uninstalled 295 percent more often than usual, at least according to figures from Sensor Tower.

Dispute between Anthropic and Pentagon

These developments were preceded by a dispute between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense. Claude was previously the only AI model allowed to be used in the ministry.

However, in negotiations about expanding the use of Claude to the US military, Dario Amodei, the head of the AI company, had formulated red lines for Claude's deployment to the Pentagon. The AI is not yet mature enough for autonomous weapon systems and must not be used for mass surveillance in the USA, he wrote in a public statement. The ministry then classified Anthropic as a “supply chain risk.” On Saturday, the announcement followed that the Pentagon had reached an agreement with Anthropic rival OpenAI. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman emphasized that the deployment would only occur within a legal framework and in compliance with security principles.

(mho)