In a significant shift in the AI landscape, Anthropic has announced alterations to its service guidelines for Claude, its AI assistant, which could have profound implications for its user base. Thariq Shihipar, part of Anthropic’s technical team, conveyed the decision via Twitter, revealing that the company would implement throttling on user sessions during peak hours. This move appears to provide an opening for OpenAI to attract clients who may be reconsidering their loyalty to Claude.
Starting this week, Anthropic is set to modify its five-hour session limits for all subscription tiers—free, Pro, and Max—during busy periods. The affected time frame spans weekdays from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. PT (1 p.m. to 7 p.m. GMT). During these hours, users are likely to deplete their session limits more rapidly, a change that will limit access for many, including those paying for the premium $100 per month Max subscription.
Shihipar explained that around 7% of users are expected to encounter session limits that would not have impacted them previously, particularly among Pro subscribers. To mitigate disruptions, he suggested that users schedule any “token-intensive background jobs” for off-peak hours. This decision appears to be a strategy to manage the increasing demand for Claude; however, it raises concerns about the practicality of the imposed limits. Users typically expect on-demand access to such tools and may not plan their sessions around the new guidelines.
Further complicating the situation, Anthropic had previously touted the benefits of running processes during off-peak hours, offering double rate limits during those times. This recent pivot to imposing restrictions during peak hours has been interpreted as a shift towards negative reinforcement, frustrating users who rely on real-time access without restrictions.
Meanwhile, OpenAI seems poised to capitalize on this development. Thibault Sottiaux, OpenAI’s engineering lead for its Codex coding assistant, announced the removal of usage caps across all plans on the same day that Anthropic’s new limits were unveiled. Sottiaux encouraged users to explore the new plugins available in the Codex environment, asserting that they could engage in unlimited creative endeavors without the constraints imposed by session limits.
This strategic announcement from OpenAI suggests a concerted effort to reclaim users who may have vacated their platform in light of recent competition. By offering unrestricted access, OpenAI is positioning itself as a more user-friendly alternative, at least until it secures a larger user base for monetization. Should this trend continue, the competitive landscape for AI services may evolve, with companies like Anthropic facing a pressing need to reassess their strategies to retain customer loyalty amid changing usage patterns.
