An online protest movement is calling on users to boycott ChatGPT, following reports that the company OpenAI has reached a deal with the Pentagon to deploy its artificial intelligence models on classified US military networks. The campaign, known as “QuitGPT”, claims that over 1.5 million people have taken action, by canceling subscriptions, sharing boycott messages on social media or registering on the quitgpt.org website, Euronews reported.
The reaction came after a public clash between artificial intelligence company Anthropic and the US Department of War. Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, stated that he could not accept the Pentagon’s request for unrestricted access to the company’s AI systems.
“In some limited cases, we believe AI can undermine, rather than protect, democratic values,” he wrote, adding that some uses are beyond what current technology can do safely and reliably. Anthropic reportedly faced losing a $200 million contract to develop advanced AI capabilities for U.S. national security. Hours after negotiations between Anthropic and U.S. authorities collapsed, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced that his company had reached an agreement with the Pentagon to deploy its models on classified networks. He said the Department of War had shown “deep respect for security” and a desire to cooperate.
The announcement came shortly after US President Donald Trump declared that he would order federal agencies to immediately stop using Anthropic’s technology.
The QuitGPT campaign accuses OpenAI of putting profit before public safety, claiming the Pentagon deal paves the way for uses such as mass surveillance and the development of autonomous weapons without human supervision. Organizers are urging users to switch to alternatives, including Google’s Gemini chatbot and other competing platforms. They have also announced a physical protest on March 3 near OpenAI’s headquarters in San Francisco.