At the HumanX AI conference in San Francisco, thousands gathered at the Moscone Center to discuss how agentic AI is reshaping business operations. These AI agents, designed to automate coding and enterprise tasks, are now spreading across industries through chatbots used by both companies and consumers.
One name came up more than any other. Claude, developed by Anthropic, dominated conversations. It appeared in panel discussions and came up repeatedly in talks with vendors on the floor. In contrast, ChatGPT received far less attention. Some vendors even claimed their teams preferred Claude, describing OpenAI’s tools as declining in quality or direction.
This shift in perception is becoming harder to ignore. Even after raising $122 billion and moving toward an IPO, people are starting to question where OpenAI is headed. The direction does not feel as clear as it once did.
The company has quietly pulled back from projects like Sora, its AI video tool, along with other experimental ideas. The focus now sits more on business use and coding tools. At the same time, ongoing scrutiny around Sam Altman, plus decisions like adding ads to ChatGPT, have added to the criticism.
During a panel, Bret Taylor, CEO of Sierra and OpenAI board chairman, defended Altman. He described him as a trusted leader in AI and pushed back against public criticism. Still, the mixed signals have made OpenAI appear reactive rather than forward-looking.
Meanwhile, competition is tightening. Anthropic and OpenAI now appear closely matched in both growth and enterprise adoption. Some reports suggest Anthropic is gaining ground with business users. According to recent analysis, both companies rank among the fastest-growing in tech history.
OpenAI is not standing still. It recently launched a $100 ChatGPT subscription tier, offering expanded access to Codex, its coding tool. This move targets developers and aims to compete directly with Claude Code.
As AI technology evolves at high speed, industry leaders agree on one point. The field is shifting faster than expected. With agentic systems advancing quickly, the future of AI remains open and highly competitive.
