On this illustration, the Claude AI app is seen within the app retailer on a telephone on February 16, 2026 in New York Metropolis. Based on studies from the Wall Avenue Journal, the Protection Division used Anthropic’s Claude Ai, by way of its Palantir contract, to assist with the assault on Venezuela and seize former President Nicolás Maduro.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Pictures
Anthropic’s Claude synthetic intelligence assistant app jumped to the No. 2 slot on Apple’s chart of high U.S. free apps late on Friday, hours after the Trump administration sought to dam authorities businesses’ adoption of the startup’s know-how.
The rise in recognition means that Anthropic is benefiting from its presence in information headlines, stemming from its refusal to have its fashions used for mass home surveillance or for absolutely autonomous weapons.
“The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE attempting to STRONG-ARM the Division of Struggle, and drive them to obey their Phrases of Service as a substitute of our Structure,” President Donald Trump wrote in a Friday Reality Social publish.
Division of Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth stated he requested that Anthropic be labeled as a supply-chain threat to nationwide safety, and subsequently, no U.S. protection contractor would be capable of draw on Anthropic instruments.
“It’s the Division’s prerogative to pick contractors most aligned with their imaginative and prescient,” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei stated in a press release. “However given the substantial worth that Anthropic’s know-how offers to our armed forces, we hope they rethink.”
Traditionally, different AI chat apps have been extra well-liked amongst customers than Claude. OpenAI’s ChatGPT sat at No. 1 on the App Retailer rankings on Saturday, whereas Google’s Gemini was at No. 3.
The Claude iOS app has gained momentum this month. On Jan. 30, it was ranked No. 131 within the U.S., and it bounced across the high 20 for a lot of February, based on information from analytics firm Sensor Tower. The info exhibits ChatGPT has held on to the No. 1 spot for many of February.
Previously yr, Anthropic — which was fashioned in 2021 by former OpenAI workers — has gained momentum as a provider of fashions for coding and normal company use. OpenAI, whose ChatGPT now has over 900 million weekly customers, has been responding to Anthropic’s surge in enterprise by putting partnerships with consulting corporations comparable to Accenture and Capgemini.
On Friday night time, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated the startup had reached an settlement with the U.S. Protection Division on the deployment of its fashions.
Hours later, pop singer Katy Perry posted a screenshot of Anthropic’s Professional subscription for customers, with a coronary heart superimposed over it.
WATCH: Sec. Pete Hegseth directs Pentagon to designate Anthropic supply-chain threat
