Anthropic’s AI model Claude gets popularity boost after US military feud
The AI model Claude has surged in popularity after being blacklisted by the Pentagon last week over ethics concerns.Claude climbed to the No 1 spot on Apple’s chart of top free apps on Saturday in the US – dethroning OpenAI’s ChatGPT, just one day after the Pentagon tapped OpenAI to supply AI to classified military networks.The bot’s app climbed the iPhone app charts in the UK but did not beat out ChatGPT.Claude also raced up the Android charts in the US and UK, though ChatGPT reigned supreme, according to data from Sensor Tower.Claude and other apps by the startup Anthropic suffered outages early Monday amid what the company described as “unprecedented demand for Claude” over the last week.
More than 1,400 users reported disruptions just after 6am ET, according to Downdetector, an online platform that monitors service outages.By 11am ET, Anthropic stated that the incident was resolved.Even as the company feuded with the Pentagon, business boomed.“Every single day last week was an all time record for Claude sign-ups,” a statement from the company reads.Pete Hegseth, the US defense secretary, called Anthropic a supply-chain risk last week, after CEO Dario Amodei refused to back down on red lines around the use of his company’s technology for mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons.
Amodei has said current AI models are not reliable enough to be used in these weapons and that mass surveillance violates constitutional rights,He has also disputed the federal government’s ability to designate Anthropic a supply chain risk, and so far advised customers and Pentagon contractors that their use is unaffected,The federal government has accused Anthropic of overstepping, with Donald Trump saying on his Truth Social platform: “The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the [Pentagon], and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution,” The Trump administration then tapped OpenAI’s Chat GPT for the job,Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, announced on Friday that his company struck a deal with the federal government just hours after negotiations between the Pentagon and Anthropic fell through.
He said the military would not use ChatGPT for autonomous killing systems or mass surveillance.But those claims have been met with skepticism by many AI experts, lawyers, tech workers and users, who asked why the US government would abandon its partnership with Anthropic, only to strike a deal with OpenAI that has the same safeguards it criticized.Some ChatGPT users, including pop singer Katy Perry, announced their switch to Anthropic on social media and urged others to cancel their subscriptions, too.Anthropic already had a good start to the year, with free active users increasing by more than 60% and daily signups quadrupling, the company said.Claude’s paid subscribers also more than doubled.
Anthropic has made it easy for new users to make the switch to Claude through its memory feature, which is available on all paid plans.“With one copy-paste, Claude updates its memory and picks up right where you left off,” the company notes on its website.“Claude can import what matters, so your first conversation feels like your hundredth.” A step-by-step guide provides a prompt for the AI provider if a user wishes to leave in favor of Claude.
UK motor fuel prices rise since Middle East conflict began, and energy bills could jump 10% in July – business live
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy.The dust is settling after Rachel Reeves’s spring forecast statement yesterday, which showed that growth will be weaker than hoped this year while unemployment will be higher.While the chancellor claimed the UK could ‘beat the forecasts again’, economists are concerned that the ongoing Middle East crisis will hurt the economy, and household finances, badly.The Resolution Foundation have just released their overnight analysis of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast.The good news? The UK is set for a “decent”, one-off increase in living standards this year, and a bumper rise for lower-income families
War in Middle East ‘could wipe out growth in UK living standards’
The Middle East crisis could trigger an energy price shock that more than wipes out the £300 rise in living standards a typical working-age household could otherwise expect this year, a leading thinktank has warned.The Resolution Foundation said a “decent” one-off increase in average living standards in 2026 and a bumper rise for lower-income households could be reversed by rising oil and gas prices as the Iran conflict disrupts supplies.However, if the recent jump in energy prices persists, the foundation said all the gains could be wiped out.While the effect may not be as large as the increase caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which sent the cost of food, oil and gas soaring, a rise this year in oil and gas prices could add a percentage point to UK inflation and £500 on typical annual energy bills, it said.The UK’s reliance on gas from the Middle East makes it especially vulnerable to an effective blockade of the strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world’s liquid natural gas is transported
Europe’s next-generation fighter jet project may collapse if row continues, says warplane maker
France and Germany’s next-generation fighter jet project could soon be “dead”, one of the two companies tasked with delivering it has warned, amid a worsening corporate rift over who gets to build the aircraft.Dassault Aviation, France’s leading warplane maker, said Airbus’s defence arm – which represents Germany and Spain – needed to cooperate on the €100bn programme otherwise it would collapse.“Airbus doesn’t want to work with Dassault, full stop. I take note. I never said I didn’t want to work with Airbus or with the Germans,” said Éric Trappier, Dassault’s chief executive, via an interpreter while presenting the company’s financial results on Wednesday
Google faces lawsuit after Gemini chatbot allegedly instructed man to kill himself
Last August, Jonathan Gavalas became entirely consumed with his Google Gemini chatbot. The 36-year-old Florida resident had started casually using the artificial intelligence tool earlier that month to help with writing and shopping. Then Google introduced its Gemini Live AI assistant, which included voice-based chats that had the capability to detect people’s emotions and respond in a more human-like way.“Holy shit, this is kind of creepy,” Gavalas told the chatbot the night the feature debuted, according to court documents. “You’re way too real
South Africa v New Zealand: T20 World Cup cricket semi-final – live
7th over: New Zealand 91-0 (Seifert 47, Allen 44) The Powerplay is over; the power play is not. Seifert makes room to belabour Keshav Maharaj’s third ball through extra cover for four.A relatively quiet over, yet New Zealand still scored seven from it. They need 79 from 78 balls and should cruise to victory.6th over: New Zealand 84-0 (Seifert 41, Allen 43) Finn Allen completes an awesome Powerplay by manhandling Corbin Bosch’s first over for 22
Dennis Cometti was erudite, funny and engaging. His witticisms could fill a library
The late Tony Charlton, who called a dozen VFL grand finals and three Olympic Games, said sporting commentators should “produce words like bubbles in champagne”. There have been some sublime sporting commentators in this country. But no one in Australian broadcasting turned words into bubbles like Dennis Cometti. Few could match his repertoire of wit, timing and verve. And few were so professional, so versatile, so fully dedicated to their craft, so capable of meeting the moment
Maritime and port workers: how is the Middle East conflict affecting you?
Labor says Australia won’t run out of fuel due to the Iran conflict. So how much do we have and how long will it last?
UK oil firm fined £13m for repeatedly publishing inaccurate financial results
Workers at top 20 US low-wage firms rely on public assistance, report says
UK supermarket chain Iceland drops trademark dispute with Iceland
UK borrowing costs jump again on fears Iran conflict will curb growth