Artificial intelligence leader OpenAI is facing backlash after striking a deal with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide artificial intelligence technology for use within military operations.

The agreement, reportedly worth up to $200 million, allows the Pentagon to use OpenAI’s models within its classified networks. The deal was announced in late February, shortly after the Defense Department cut ties with competing AI firm, Anthropic, who refused to allow their systems to be used for mass domestic surveillance and/or fully autonomous weaponry

Anthropic’s CEO, Dario Amodei, had insisted on contractual guardrails that would prevent the Pentagon from deploying its AI technology to spy on Americans or develop weapons capable of operating without human control. After the company declined to cede those terms, the Department of Defense labeled Anthropic a “supply-chain risk”, effectively blacklisting the company.

Soon after, OpenAI announced its own agreement with the Pentagon, stepping in for Anthropic. The company said its systems would be provided with certain safeguards in place. Despite those assurances, the deal has sparked controversy throughout the tech sector and within the organization itself.

Caitlin Kalinowski, the company’s robotics hardware lead, resigned only days later. In a post on X, she denounced the deal. “AI has an important role in national security. But surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got,” she wrote.

CEO Sam Altman later admitted the process “was definitely rushed, and the optics don’t look good.” The court of public opinion appears to agree. Uninstalls of the ChatGPT app surged by more than 295% on February 28, the day after the deal was revealed, while Anthropic’s chatbot Claude climbed to the No. 1 spot on Apple’s U.S. App Store as some users switched platforms in protest. Facing mounting pressure, OpenAI has since pledged to revisit and renegotiate parts of the agreement.

The deal has rubbed many students at Niles North the wrong way,

“Personally, I use ChatGPT every day—who doesn’t?,” asked senior Nathan Shamoon. “I’ve welcomed it into my life because, at its core, it’s incredible technology, and I appreciate that. But I’d hate to feel like I’m being complacent in something far more sinister.”