Piotech

Claude climbs to number 2 on app store amid Pentagon row

Anthropic’s AI chatbot Claude has surged to the number two spot among free apps on Apple’s US App Store, following controversy over the company’s negotiations with the Pentagon. Claude ranks just behind ChatGPT by OpenAI, which holds the top position.

Google’s Gemini is currently ranked third. Data from Sensor Tower showed that Claude was positioned just outside the top 100 at the end of January. Through most of February, it remained within the top 20. Its rise accelerated in recent days, moving from sixth place on Wednesday to fourth on Thursday and then to second on Saturday. The spike in downloads comes amid a public dispute between Anthropic and the US Department of Defense.

Anthropic had attempted to negotiate safeguards to prevent its AI models from being used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems. Following those negotiations, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to stop using Anthropic products. Soon after, OpenAI announced a separate agreement with the Pentagon.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the deal includes safeguards related to domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. The developments appear to have drawn increased public attention to Anthropic and its chatbot, contributing to Claude’s rapid climb in app rankings.

ChatGPT nears one billion weekly users, raises $110 billion

ChatGPT has reached 900 million weekly active users, bringing the AI chatbot closer to the 1 billion mark. The company also said it now has 50 million paying subscribers. The new figure marks an increase of 100 million users since October 2025, when OpenAI reported 800 million weekly active users. The growth reflects rising global adoption of the AI tool for learning, writing, planning and building. In a blog post, OpenAI said subscriber momentum has accelerated at the start of the year.

“January and February are on track to be the largest months for new subscribers in our history,” the company said. It added that as usage grows, the product improves with faster responses, higher reliability, stronger safety and more consistent performance. OpenAI shared the user data alongside news that it has raised $110 billion in private funding.

The round is among the largest in history. It includes a $50 billion investment from Amazon, and $30 billion each from Nvidia and SoftBank. The funding values the company at a pre-money valuation of $730 billion. The round remains open, and OpenAI expects more investors to participate.

The rapid growth in users and funding signals increasing demand for generative AI tools. With 900 million weekly users and rising subscriptions, ChatGPT is now within reach of becoming one of the most widely used digital platforms globally.

Google launches Nano Banana 2 after viral AI tool success

Google unveiled Nano Banana 2, the successor to its viral AI image generation model, as it steps up efforts to strengthen its position in the fast-growing artificial intelligence race. The new model is being rolled out across multiple products, including the Gemini app, AI Mode and Lens features on Search, and Flow, Google’s AI-powered video tool. The company said Nano Banana 2 offers faster performance and improved image quality.

Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini’s Flash models, which are designed to be faster and more cost-effective. Google said the update enables quicker image generation and editing, better instruction-following, and sharper visual details. The original Nano Banana AI image editor, launched in August, quickly went viral.

It attracted 13 million first-time users to the Gemini app within four days in September. By mid-October, users had generated more than 5 billion images. Google followed up with Nano Banana Pro in November.

The latest launch is part of a broader push by Google to compete more aggressively with OpenAI’s ChatGPT after facing early setbacks in the AI space.

The company’s renewed AI focus has helped drive a 47 per cent rise in its stock over the past six months. In November, Google also released its Gemini 3 AI model. The model’s success significantly boosted user engagement, helping the Gemini app surpass 750 million monthly active users by the end of December.

all inputs from agencies