"We Can't Live Without It, But" 700,000 in the US Are Already Boycotting... Chaos Over 'Quit Using' ChatGPT

OpenAI executives make large donations to Trump-supporting SuperPACs
More than 700,000 users declare a ChatGPT boycott on social media

Recently in the United States, a movement called "QuitGPT" that calls for canceling paid subscriptions to the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT has been spreading.

This has come in the wake of revelations that senior management at OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, made large donations to a SuperPAC supporting President Donald Trump, and amid successive reports that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is using ChatGPT technology.

As of last year, the number of weekly ChatGPT users in South Korea quadrupled in one year, and paid subscribers also increased more than threefold compared with the previous year, according to an announcement. Getty Images

Recently, on social networking services (SNS) such as X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Bluesky, posts certifying or encouraging the cancellation of ChatGPT subscriptions have been appearing one after another, accompanied by the "QuitGPT" hashtag.

As of last year, weekly ChatGPT users in South Korea had quadrupled over the previous year, and paid subscribers also rose more than threefold, according to a report. Getty Images

Users are repeatedly sharing posts that either certify their cancellation of a ChatGPT subscription or encourage others to cancel, together with the "QuitGPT" hashtag.

The campaign was launched by an activist group, which claimed via its website (quitgpt.org) that more than 700,000 users have declared a boycott. The organizers stated, "We will continue the boycott until OpenAI's leadership publicly pledges to stop donating to Trump, the Republican Party, and Big Tech SuperPACs," adding, "We cannot allow them to continue helping authoritarianism."

They continued, "By using ChatGPT as an example, we can send a clear message to those who are turning a blind eye to ICE's illegal activities that their actions will not go unpunished," and added, "We must make CEOs think twice before they join hands with Trump."

Hollywood actor Ruffalo Mark. He is wearing a 'Be Good' badge on his lapel protesting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). AFP/Yonhap News Agency

Beyond simple subscription cancellations, there are also moves to propose alternatives. Activists are calling on users to switch from ChatGPT to open-source-based AI models, or to Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude.

They argue that "many ChatGPT users are young and tend to be progressive, but many of them are not aware that there are alternatives." They further stressed that, because OpenAI currently spends more than it earns in revenue, a boycott could serve as real economic pressure.

As the boycott spreads, Hollywood stars and prominent figures in academia are also raising their voices.

Actor Mark Ruffalo, famous for playing the Hulk in the "Avengers" film series, wrote on Instagram, "The president of ChatGPT is one of Trump's biggest donors and their technology is empowering ICE. It is time to boycott. QuitGPT." The post has been viewed more than 40 million times and has received over 2 million likes.

Scott Galloway, a professor at New York University Stern School of Business who has long criticized the harms of Big Tech, Dutch historian Rutger Bregman, author of the bestseller "Humankind," and actor and digital producer Brakeley Thornton have also joined the campaign.

(This photo is not directly related to the article.) Pixabay Pixabay

There are also concerns that the "QuitGPT" movement could become an additional drag on ChatGPT's market share, which has recently been on the decline. According to market research firm Apptopia, ChatGPT's share of the U.S. mobile device market fell from 69.1% in January last year to 45.3% in January this year.

Previously, OpenAI President Greg Brockman and his wife, Anna Brockman, donated 25 million dollars (about 36 billion won) last year to MAGA Inc., a SuperPAC supporting President Trump, and contributed the same amount to "Leading The Future," a SuperPAC calling for looser AI regulation.

In addition, the Department of Homeland Security disclosed that ICE is using a GPT-4-based tool to review applicants' resumes in its new hiring process.