The popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is currently experiencing widespread disruptions, leaving users globally unable to access its services. This outage affects both the web and app versions of ChatGPT, preventing users from engaging with the AI for various tasks. Reports of the service being down began surfacing around 5 PM IST, as indicated by Downdetector, which has since recorded thousands of user complaints detailing the service malfunction. Social media platform X is also filled with users confirming issues with the AI chatbot.
ChatGPT Outage: What We Know So Far
OpenAI has officially acknowledged the ongoing issues and is actively engaged in resolving the technical difficulties causing the ChatGPT downtime. According to OpenAI’s Status page, the service and its associated API are currently under “degraded performance.” The official message on their status page reads, “We are currently experiencing elevated error rates in the API. We are currently investigating.” This statement confirms that OpenAI is aware of the problem and is in the process of identifying and implementing a solution to restore full functionality. However, the exact duration for which ChatGPT will remain offline is still uncertain.
Timeline of the ChatGPT Downtime
Data from Downdetector highlights that the ChatGPT outage began earlier today and is still persisting. User reports indicate a significant impact, with approximately 88% of users reporting complete inability to access the ChatGPT tool. The remaining users are experiencing issues with either the website itself or the API, indicating a widespread problem affecting different access points. This disruption has left millions of users worldwide without access to the generative AI platform they have come to rely on.
What Could Be Causing the ChatGPT Outage?
As of now, OpenAI has not publicly disclosed the specific cause of the current ChatGPT outage. Initial user reports began emerging intermittently early on Thursday, with many users encountering difficulties in logging in or even accessing the ChatGPT website. Currently, attempting to reach chat.openai.com often results in a “Bad Gateway” error message, suggesting a potential issue with the web infrastructure or server connectivity. Investigations are likely underway by OpenAI engineers to pinpoint the root cause, which could range from server overload due to high demand, network issues, or internal technical glitches within the ChatGPT system itself.
Impact of the ChatGPT Downtime on Users and Services
This ChatGPT outage underscores the increasing dependence on AI-powered technologies in our daily lives, both for personal and professional tasks. Many individuals have integrated ChatGPT into their workflows for a wide array of applications, from seeking quick answers and information to generating creative content and obtaining professional assistance. The current downtime inevitably disrupts these activities, leading to user frustration and the need to seek alternative solutions or temporarily halt AI-dependent tasks.
Interestingly, some users have reported a discrepancy in service availability. While the web version of ChatGPT remains inaccessible, the mobile application appears to be functioning normally for some. These reports indicate that the ChatGPT mobile app is still responding to user prompts and generating content, suggesting that the issue might be specifically related to the web infrastructure supporting ChatGPT access via browsers, rather than the core AI model itself. This difference in service availability could provide valuable clues for OpenAI engineers as they work to resolve the broader outage.
