Over 2.5m users boycott ChatGPT after OpenAI-Pentagon deal

More than 2.5 million users have pledged to boycott ChatGPT following OpenAI's agreement with the Pentagon, triggering widespread criticism of the AI developer.

A website tracking the boycott reported that over 2.5 million users have already left ChatGPT, which has a global user base exceeding 900 million, after OpenAI signed a contract last week allowing the US Department of Defence to use the AI model on its classified network. The boycott figures are based on website pledges, social media shares, and app usage data, indicating growing disillusionment among users.

"We're organising Americans and people worldwide to quit ChatGPT," the boycott website said, adding that the campaign aims to send a strong message to technology enablers that such actions will not go unchallenged.

Following the backlash, competitor chatbots gained traction. Claude, developed by Anthropic, surged to the top of Apple's App Store charts, surpassing ChatGPT, while US mobile app uninstalls for ChatGPT jumped 295 per cent in a single day, according to TechCrunch and analysis by Sensor Tower.

The criticism intensified as OpenAI signed the deal shortly after Anthropic, the Pentagon's previous AI contractor, withdrew, citing concerns that the AI would be used for domestic surveillance, conflicting with the company's democratic values.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the misstep on social media, saying the announcement was rushed and that the company should have communicated more clearly. "We shouldn't have rushed to get this out on Friday," Altman wrote. "The issues are super complex and demand clear communication. Our intention was to de-escalate, but it appeared opportunistic and sloppy."

According to The Guardian, OpenAI is now revising the agreement, explicitly prohibiting the use of its technology for mass surveillance or deployment by intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA).