New market data indicates significant shifts in consumer behavior after OpenAI announced an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense to deploy its AI models in classified environments. According to Sensor Tower, U.S. uninstalls of the ChatGPT mobile app increased 295% day-over-day on February 28, far above its typical 9% daily fluctuation. During the same period, U.S. downloads declined 13% on Saturday and a further 5% on Sunday, reversing prior growth.
In contrast, downloads of Anthropic’s Claude rose sharply after the company declined similar defense terms over concerns about domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. Sensor Tower reported Claude downloads increased 37% on February 27 and 51% on February 28. Appfigures estimated an 88% day-over-day surge, with Claude reaching №1 on the U.S. App Store and topping rankings in multiple international markets. Review data also reflected sentiment shifts, with one-star ratings for ChatGPT rising substantially over the weekend.
