Anthropic Improves Feature to Switch From Competitors as Users Call for ChatGPT Boycott

Gizmodo · Mar 2, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Anthropic just updated a tool that lets users import preferences and memory from rival chatbots, as a dispute with the U.S. military helped push Claude to the top of the app charts. The updated tool makes it easier than ever for chatbot users to switch to Claude without having to start from scratch. “Bring your preferences and context from other AI providers to Claude,” the company says on its website. “With one copy-paste, Claude updates its memory and picks up right where you left off.” The update arrived the same weekend Claude overtook OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the top free app on Apple’s App Store. The surge in downloads followed controversy surrounding the company’s refusal to agree to terms from the U.S. Department of War that would have allowed Claude to be used by the military for “all lawful uses.” Negotiations got tense after Anthropic sought restrictions on the use of its tech for domestic surveillance and autonomous weapon systems. To use the new tool, users on a paid plan can copy a prompt provided by Anthropic that asks another chatbot to export its data in a code block. After receiving that code, users can go to Claude’s Settings page, open the Capabilities menu, navigate to the Memory section, and select “Start import.” From there, they can paste the exported code block and choose “Add to memory” to submit it. Google is reportedly testing a similar feature, and ChatGPT currently offers a method for transferring memory between different ChatGPT accounts. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that after the two parties failed to reach an agreement on Friday, he is directing the department to designate Anthropic as a supply-chain risk. The move would bar contractors, suppliers, or any companies seeking to do business with the U.S. military from maintaining commercial ties with Anthropic. “The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution,” wrote Trump in a post on Friday on Truth Social. For its part, Anthropic said, in a statement on Friday, that it insisted on the exceptions because it believes “today’s frontier AI models are reliable enough to be used in fully autonomous weapons” and that mass domestic surveillance violates “fundamental rights.” Hegseth said the department will begin transitioning away from Anthropic’s services over the next six months. Until recently, Anthropic was the only AI company cleared for use in the military’s classified systems. Its technology was reportedly used in some capacity during recent U.S. strikes in Iran. Hours after Anthropic was blacklisted, OpenAI announced it had reached an agreement with the Defense Department to deploy its technology in classified systems. Bewilderingly, OpenAI claims that in its agreement with the Defense Department, it is still able to protect the same redlines Anthropic had pushed for, including prohibitions on using its technology for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons. Elon Musk’s xAI has also reportedly reached an agreement for its technology to be used in military classified systems. Additionally, Grok, OpenAI, and Google’s AI systems are all available through the Defense Department’s AI platform, GenAI.mil, for unclassified uses. Still, calls to boycott ChatGPT began circulating online this weekend. A website called “QuitGPT” claims that over 1.5 million people have joined the campaign. Among the reasons cited for the boycott is OpenAI President Greg Brockman’s reported $25 million donation to a pro-Trump super PAC last year. Even pop star Katy Perry has taken to social media to show its support of Anthropic. In a post on X, Perry wrote “done” alongside a screenshot of the Claude Pro sign-up page with a heart over it. By Monday morning, Claude experienced an outage that the company attributed to “unprecedented demand,” Bloomberg reported. For a while, Claude appeared positioned to be the leader in enterprise and developer use of AI, while competing chatbots dominated the consumer market. That now seems to be shifting. It’s unclear which path will prove more lucrative, but Anthropic appears to be riding this wave in consumer interest by promoting its data importation feature.