More than 2.5 million users have pledged to boycott ChatGPT after OpenAI reached an agreement with the Pentagon, sparking widespread criticism of the artificial intelligence developer.
A website monitoring the boycott said over 2.5 million people have already abandoned the platform, which serves a global user base of more than 900 million. The reaction followed OpenAI’s decision last week to sign a contract permitting the US Department of Defense to deploy the AI model on its classified network.
The reported boycott totals draw on online pledges, social media activity and application usage statistics, reflecting mounting dissatisfaction and disillusionment among sections of 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 U.S. mobile app uninstalls for ChatGPT jumped 295 percent 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).
