Protesters gather with banners and placards outside the Google Deepmind offices in a protest organized by PauseAI UK and other groups concerned with regulating the development of advanced Artificial Intelligence systems, in London on February 28, 2026. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP via Getty Images)
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With college students scoffing at talk of artificial intelligence in early debates, and voices as diverse as the Pope and the Anthropic giant warning of the dangers of unmitigated AI development, public sentiment toward the technology has soured significantly from its initial euphoria.
But despite the growing public backlash, the use of AI around the world has been increasing at record highs. OpenAI’s ChatGPT reached one billion monthly app users, or MAUs, in May, according to the latest estimates from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. Other AI apps including Anthropic’s Claude made triple-digit percentage gains year-over-year in users, the data firm said.
With its one billion MAU count – achieved almost 3.5 years after its launch in November 2022 – ChatGPT has become the fastest app ever to reach the milestone, surpassing the previous record set by Google Maps, which took almost five years after launch to reach the same usage volume, said Sensor Tower.
OpenAI, which did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment, said in February that ChatGPT saw more than 900 million weekly active users across all web and mobile platforms. and said it has more than six times the monthly web visits and mobile sessions for the next big AI platform.
According to Sensor Tower, OpenAI’s market-leading language model was followed by offerings from competitors, including Google’s Gemini, ByteDance’s Doubao and its overseas brand Dola, and Claude from rival developer Anthropic.
But while ChatGPT enjoys a significant lead in monthly users, competing models are quickly catching up. Monthly usage for Claude and Meta AI respectively increased by 640% and 973% year-over-year, compared to 62% for ChatGPT, according to Sensor Tower estimates.
Despite the “first mover advantage,” the use of ChatGPT’s competition has grown in the development of the virtual model, as well as good market sentiment, Abe Yousef, a data analyst for Sensor Tower, told CNBC.
Yousef cited OpenAI’s February agreement with the US Department of Defense to use its models on the Pentagon’s classified networks as an example of where public unease is driving use.
ChatGPT’s output dropped by about 295% day-to-day in Feb. 28 – the day after OpenAI announced its Pentagon deal, according to Sensor Tower data.
Anthropic got a boost in sentiment for ChatGPT, as Claude climbed to the top of the App Store that weekend, surpassing ChatGPT in US downloads for the first time, after denying involvement in Pentagon activities.
Both Anthropic and OpenAI recently began the long-awaited public listing process, and Sam Altman’s OpenAI submitted its IPO application on Monday afternoon, hot on the heels of Anthropic, which filed its IPO prospectus with the US Securities and Exchange Commission last week.
Emotion-driven consumption
While ethical user considerations may drive use in cases such as Anthropic’s standoff with the Department of Defense, analysts say the broader trajectory of AI use is unlikely to be swayed by emotion.
“The aggressive approach to AI adoption shows no sign of slowing down,” said Hanno Stegmann, managing director and partner of the Boston Consulting Group’s AI and technology group, BCG X.
Stegmann’s comments come amid a growing sense of unease about AI. Tech giant Anthropic called on Friday for a pause in global AI development, warning that unabated progress could quickly spiral out of control.
“If systems can fully create successors, the ways in which we protect them, monitor them, and shape their behavior will all become more important,” the company wrote in a blog post.
Anthropic’s statements echo earlier claims by Pope Leo in a letter published on May 25, warning of growing inequality and social security concerns caused by the world’s insatiable demand for AI.
Much of that concern has also been exposed at recent college commencement events in the US, where freshmen across the country scoffed at the mention of AI out of concern that the technology would displace short-term roles, among other ethical and environmental concerns.
Meanwhile, a CNBC survey published in May showed that employees have avoided using AI for ethical, environmental or privacy reasons.
“I understand why the generation entering the workforce and this much change feels uncertain. That’s a logical response to real change,” Stegmann said, adding that uncertainty about the results is often what dampens sentiment.
But with AI playing such an important role in everyday life, any poor sense of community will likely make a dent in overall usability.
A BCG survey of nearly 12,000 front-line workers released June 3 showed that 74% use AI regularly, up 23 percent year-over-year, and more than 40% of regular users report saving the equivalent of a full workday each week. At the time, the United Nations estimated that the growing AI market could reach more than $4.8 trillion by 2033.
“While negative feelings about AI… are undoubtedly growing, consumers are increasingly using and trusting these platforms,” said Yousef of Sensor Tower.
