Anthropic's AI assistant Claude appears to have gained significant traction following the public scrutiny of the company's tense discussions with the Pentagon. As of Saturday afternoon, Claude holds the position of the second most popular free application in Apple's US App Store. The top spot is occupied by OpenAI's ChatGPT, while GoogleGemini ranks third.

According to SensorTower data, Claude was positioned just outside the top 100 apps at the close of January. Throughout most of February, its ranking fluctuated within the top 20. The app has experienced a notable surge in the past several days, climbing from sixth place on Wednesday to fourth on Thursday, and finally securing the number two rank by Saturday.

This rise in popularity coincides with a series of events involving the US Department of Defense. After Anthropic sought contractual safeguards to prohibit the military from using its AI for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weaponry, the federal government took action. President Donald Trump instructed all agencies to cease using Anthropic products, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth labeled the company a supply-chain threat.

In a related development, OpenAI has since publicized its own contractual agreement with the Pentagon. CEO Sam Altman stated that this partnership includes specific protective measures concerning domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons systems.