OpenAI’s widely-used AI chatbot, ChatGPT, experienced an outage on Friday evening, temporarily disrupting access for thousands of users. The company, which has received significant backing from Microsoft, confirmed the outage and assured users that it is actively investigating the issue in an effort to restore functionality promptly.
According to a statement posted on OpenAI’s website, the company acknowledged the issue impacting ChatGPT and said it is “working to resolve it as quickly as possible.” The outage began impacting users in the early evening hours and continued into the night, with OpenAI providing periodic updates on the status of the service.
As of 7:13 p.m. Eastern Time (12:13 a.m. GMT on Saturday), more than 19,400 users had reported problems accessing ChatGPT, according to the outage tracking website Downdetector.com. Reports spiked as users attempted to log in or interact with the AI tool, encountering error messages or slow loading times. The nature of the issue remains unclear, and OpenAI has not yet disclosed the cause of the disruption or provided a specific timeline for when the chatbot might be fully restored.
Outages affecting popular AI-powered applications like ChatGPT can have a broad impact, given the platform’s diverse user base. ChatGPT is widely utilized by individuals for personal inquiries, by students seeking help with research, and by professionals across various industries. Its advanced language capabilities allow users to engage in natural conversations, create content, and brainstorm ideas, making it an essential tool for many.
This outage underscores the growing dependency on AI-powered services and the challenges of maintaining continuous availability for technology reliant on complex infrastructure. ChatGPT, which relies on high-powered data servers and advanced algorithms, requires constant monitoring and maintenance to ensure smooth operation. Given its rising popularity, even brief outages can lead to disruptions for users who rely on its availability for daily tasks.
Microsoft, a key investor in OpenAI, has yet to comment on the outage. The company has been a prominent partner in OpenAI’s development efforts, including the integration of ChatGPT technology into Microsoft products like Bing, adding functionality to its search engine. As OpenAI’s technology continues to grow in scope and user reliance, ensuring consistent and reliable performance has become increasingly critical.
OpenAI has faced occasional outages before, but the company generally addresses such incidents swiftly. Downdetector reports indicate that the platform has been restored for some users, although it remains unavailable for others. OpenAI has advised users to monitor their official website and social media channels for the latest updates on the situation.
The company’s statement emphasized a commitment to user experience, promising to address the disruption as soon as possible. In the meantime, affected users have been encouraged to periodically attempt to access ChatGPT, as OpenAI’s engineering team works to resolve the issue.
