Anthropic AI application Claude tops the list of free downloads on the US App Store

Anthropic's AI chatbot application Claude recently jumped to the top spot for free app downloads on the US App Store, a significant increase from the 42nd place two months ago. The ranking change is not due to new features, but rather an escalation of the controversy between Anthropic and the US government over the use of the technology. US President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized Anthropic and demanded that the federal government stop using its technology. They also banned contractors who do business with the US military from engaging in commercial cooperation with Anthropic and only allowed it to continue providing services to the Department of Defense for the next six months to complete the transition. Anthropic refuses to use cutting-edge AI models for fully automated weapons and large-scale domestic surveillance, believing that such uses would endanger the safety of military personnel and civilians and violate basic rights.