Claude Overtakes ChatGPT, Gemini on the App Store Following Trump's Ban

Anthropic's Claude app beat ChatGPT and Gemini and is now the top downloaded free app on the Apple App Store. This comes after a series of events that have shaped the AI chatbot industry.

The massive change resulted from the recent ban imposed by the Trump administration against Claude from used by any federal agency after the company stood its ground on certain safety policies.

Claude Overtakes ChatGPT, Gemini on App Store

Anthropic's Claude has surged ahead of OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini as it earned the top spot on the Apple App Store's Top Free Apps in the United States. This is a rare moment in the US iPhone apps race as ChatGPT and Gemini have famously dominated the market and were ahead of Claude for the longest time.

That said, DigitalTrends reported that this surge is not random but follows the recent ban imposed by Trump that bars Claude from being used by US federal government agencies and the military.

This is because the company refused to change its policies on the use of its AI tech to power domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.

Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hesgeth also labeled Anthropic as a "supply-chain risk."

Unlike Anthropic, OpenAI infamously revised its policies before and has recently secured a contract with the US government.

ChatGPT's US Government Controversy

As early as 2024, OpenAI has been the focus of different watchdogs after it silently revised its policies to accommodate the US government's needs for using its generative AI technology for military needs.

The company has reiterated that its tech will not be used to power autonomous weapons and maintains that it would only help power certain platforms or tools.

However, following Sam Altman's announcement of OpenAI's deal with the Department of War (DoW), many users on X and Reddit have started the "cancel ChatGPT" campaign. This movement calls upon the cancellation of paid subscriptions and a boycott of the platform in favor of alternatives such as Anthropic's Claude.