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ChatGPT uninstalls surged by 295% on February 28 after news broke that OpenAI had struck a deal with the United States Department of Defense, according to app intelligence data from Sensor Tower. The spike dwarfed the chatbot’s typical day-over-day uninstall rate of about 9% over the previous 30 days.

What had been a steady hum of daily deletions turned into a tidal wave.

Ratings Plunge and Downloads Dip

The backlash did not stop at uninstalls.

One-star reviews ballooned by 775% on Saturday, followed by another 100% jump on Sunday. At the same time, five-star ratings were slashed in half, falling 50% during the same stretch — a stark reversal for one of the world’s most popular AI apps.

Downloads in the United States also slipped. Installs fell 13% day over day on Saturday, then dropped another 5% on Sunday, reflecting a cooling enthusiasm among American users.

Rival Claude Climbs the Charts

While ChatGPT faced a digital revolt, a rival surged.

Downloads of Claude, developed by Anthropic, climbed 37% on February 27 and 51% on February 28 in the U.S. Within days, Claude vaulted to the No. 1 position on the U.S. App Store — a dramatic leap from 20 places lower just a week earlier.

Anthropic chief Dario Amodei had publicly stated the company would not partner with the Defense Department, citing objections to deploying artificial intelligence for domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. He argued that AI systems are not yet safe enough for such high-stakes uses.

Meanwhile, Sam Altman confirmed OpenAI’s agreement, saying the company would deploy its models within a classified government network. He emphasized that safety remained central to the arrangement.

The episode underscores a deeper tension in the AI era: innovation racing ahead, public trust lagging behind. In a marketplace ruled by downloads and stars, perception can shift as quickly as code — and the numbers this weekend told a story louder than any press release.