Hyderabad: OpenAI’s flagship chatbot ChatGPT suffered a global outage on Tuesday, locking out thousands of users who rely on the AI platform for daily tasks and support. The disruption was especially severe in India and the United States, where users flooded social media with complaints and memes about the sudden blackout.
By midday, real-time monitoring service Downdetector had recorded a spike in outage reports from India. Over a thousand users complained that they were unable to access ChatGPT. Around 4 pm, reports had crossed the 1,000 mark in the US and the UK, showing that the glitch had spread well beyond Indian shores.
Frustrated users faced a string of error messages, including vague notices about network problems. They also got suggestions – “please check your connection and try again.” The sudden disruption not only hampered individual queries but also affected those depending on the platform’s APIs and related services.
OpenAI confirmed the outage through its official status page, stating that the problem had hit not just ChatGPT but also its API and Sora services. Users faced unusually high error rates and sluggish responses, the company acknowledged. However, there was no word on when the services would be fully restored. “We’re actively investigating the issue,” OpenAI said in a brief statement, advising users to check its status page for live updates.
Meanwhile, social media was awash with reactions as users vented their frustration and poked fun at the technical hiccup. While some demanded answers, others shared memes about their sudden dependence on human colleagues in the absence of the AI chatbot.
