Claude, ChatGPT’s rival chatbot, will be launched on the iPhone

The challenger to market leader OpenAI aims to “meet users where they are” and integrate into their daily lives

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is facing serious competition as Anthropic introduces its Claude chatbot to iPhones. Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI staff who left due to disagreements with CEO Sam Altman, has developed a product that surpasses ChatGPT in some intelligence metrics and now aims to attract everyday users.

“In today’s world, smartphones are central to how people interact with technology. To make Claude a true AI assistant, it’s crucial to meet users where they are—often on their mobile devices,” said Scott White from Anthropic.

“We’re putting the power of Claude directly into people’s hands. It’s not just about convenience; it’s about integrating Claude into our daily lives.”

The third version of the Claude large language model is available directly to users on its website in three versions: a fast and simple model called “haiku,” a slower and more powerful model called “sonnet,” and the full “opus” system, which is available only to paying customers.

The opus system took the lead in the LMSys chatbot ranking, becoming the first AI to surpass GPT-4, and it gained attention for its vast “context window”—the amount of conversation it can retain at one time. Opus can handle about 160,000 words, enough for users to input an entire novel and ask follow-up questions.

Until now, ChatGPT has faced little competition on users’ devices. OpenAI launched its iOS app in May last year, and it remains one of the few cutting-edge AI models with an accessible consumer app.

Anthropic says the Claude app will offer new features beyond simple ease of use. “For example, with a user’s consent, the Claude iOS app can access the device’s camera and photo library,” said Scott White.

“After a meeting, a business user could take a photo of a whiteboard diagram and ask Claude to summarize the key points, making it easier to share and act on important information. Similarly, a consumer could snap a picture of a plant they encounter on a hike and ask Claude to identify the species and provide details about its characteristics and habitat.”

In addition to the iOS app, the company is enhancing its business services with a “team” plan, allowing corporate customers to provide chatbot access to their entire staff.

“We started Anthropic to lead the forefront of AI safety and research. This isn’t something that can be done in the abstract. We believe we couldn’t positively influence the industry’s trajectory or inspire a race to the top in AI safety without competing at the cutting edge,” said Scott White.

This competition seems to be impacting the market leader. On Wednesday, OpenAI revised its policies to allow users to access their entire ChatGPT history without requiring them to opt-in for their conversations to be used for training purposes.