The AI chatbot Claude has surged to the top of app store rankings in the US after being blacklisted by the Pentagon. Developed by Anthropic, Claude climbed to No. 1 among free iPhone apps in the United States, overtaking ChatGPT, after the Defense Department moved to cut ties with the company.
For those unfamiliar, the spike followed a public clash between Anthropic and the Trump administration. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth labeled the firm a "supply-chain risk" after CEO Dario Amodei refused to ease restrictions on the use of its AI for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. President Donald Trump criticized the company on social media, and the Pentagon instead struck a deal with OpenAI to provide AI tools for classified military networks.
Despite (or perhaps because of) the dispute, Anthropic reported record-breaking growth (via Sensor Tower and Downdetector). The company said daily sign-ups hit all-time highs last week, though the surge briefly caused service outages amid what it called "unprecedented demand." Analysts note the episode has turned a policy fight over AI ethics into a commercial boost, with users flocking to Claude as debate intensifies over how artificial intelligence should be deployed in national security...