- OpenAI has signed an agreement with the US Department of War
- A significant number of ChatGPT users leave the app as a result
- Anthropic had previously raised safety and security concerns
After Claude developer Anthropic walked away from a deal with the US Department of War over safety and security concerns, OpenAI has decided to sign a deal with the military – and ChatGPT users are far from happy about it.
As reported by Windows Central, an increasing number of people are canceling their ChatGPT subscriptions and switching to other AI chatbots instead, including Claude. A quick scan of social media or Reddit is enough to see that there is a growing backlash to the move.
Meanwhile, tech investor Aidan Gold took to X to point out that OpenAI had backed Anthropic’s security position just before signing a deal with DoW. The US government has also announced its intention to now remove Claude from all its departments.
Murky AI ethics
Let me get this straight: Anthropic refused to work with the DoW unless they could promise that their technology would not be used for surveillance or killing. The DoW said they need full capacity. Anthropic declined to grant full access. OpenAI stood by Anthropic to ensure AI security.…28 February 2026
The ethics of AI have long been unclear: most of today’s popular chatbots have been trained on mountains of stolen, copyrighted work, carry the threat of triggering mass layoffs, and consume vast amounts of energy.
But earlier this week, Anthropic drew a line when it came to allowing its AI technology to be used for “mass surveillance” and “fully autonomous weapons.” Anthropic wanted safeguards in place in these areas and the DoW was not prepared to go along with them.
Enter OpenAI: the company says its deal with the US military “has more safeguards” than the one Anthropic rejected, including around mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, with “red lines” that OpenAI plans to enforce going forward.
However, ChatGPT users aren’t convinced – especially when it comes to the “all lawful purposes” language used in the agreement. This is a debate that is going to run and run, but in the meantime, Claude has hit the top spot in the Apple App Store.
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