The week turned turbulent for OpenAI after news broke of its partnership with the US Department of Defense, now reportedly rebranded under the Trump administration as the Department of War. American users responded swiftly and sharply, with a dramatic rise in app uninstallations and a simultaneous surge in downloads of Anthropic’s AI rival, Claude.
According to fresh figures from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, US uninstalls of ChatGPT’s mobile app soared by an astonishing 295 per cent on February 28, Saturday, compared with the previous day. This marks a massive spike from the chatbot’s usual day-over-day uninstall rate of around 9 per cent tracked over the last month.
The data indicates that a significant number of users were disillusioned by OpenAI’s decision to partner with the defence agency.
Claude downloads skyrocket as Anthropic rejects defence partnership.
While OpenAI faced mounting criticism, Anthropic capitalised on the moment. The company, led by Dario Amodei, announced that it had turned down a potential deal with the US defence department, citing ethical concerns over how artificial intelligence could be used for surveillance and autonomous weapons. Amodei argued that current AI models are not yet safe enough to power such technologies.
This stance resonated with many consumers. Sensor Tower data shows that US downloads of Anthropic’s Claude app rose by 37 per cent on February 27, followed by an additional 51 per cent jump on the next day.
The momentum pushed Claude to the No 1 spot on the US App Store on Saturday, a leap of over 20 positions compared with just a week earlier. The app has also topped the free charts in several other countries, including Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, and Switzerland.
A separate analysis from Appfigures backed these findings, revealing that Claude’s US downloads overtook ChatGPT’s for the first time on Saturday. Its data showed an even steeper rise, an 88 per cent increase in daily downloads compared with the previous day.
User reviews reflect growing discontent.
The backlash wasn’t limited to app deletions. ChatGPT’s ratings in the App Store also took a hit over the weekend.
Sensor Tower reported a 775 per cent spike in one-star reviews on Saturday, followed by another 100 per cent rise on Sunday. Meanwhile, five-star ratings plunged by half during the same period, suggesting that many users were venting their frustration directly through reviews.
Downloads of ChatGPT in the US also declined following the announcement. They fell 13 per cent day-over-day on Saturday and another 5 per cent on Sunday, a stark reversal from Friday’s 14 per cent growth before the news broke.
Similarweb’s latest data reinforced these trends, noting that Claude’s weekly US downloads are now around 20 times higher than they were in January. However, it also cautioned that some of this growth could stem from broader interest in Anthropic’s AI tools rather than purely political reactions.
Still, the numbers paint a clear picture: OpenAI’s defence partnership has sparked a wave of public concern, reshaping the competitive landscape of consumer AI apps almost overnight.
