ChatGPT faces global outage, OpenAI working to restore normal services

Millions of users worldwide faced disruptions as OpenAI's ChatGPT, API, and Sora services experienced a global outage; the company identified recovery path and is working on a fix

Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s widely used chatbot, ChatGPT faced a global outage, disrupting access for users around the world. The outage has impacted not only ChatGPT but also OpenAI’s API and Sora video generation platforms.

 

“We’re experiencing an outage right now. We have identified the issue and are working to roll out a fix. Sorry and we'll keep you updated,” OpenAI posted on Twitter on Thursday morning.

 

We're experiencing an outage right now. We have identified the issue and are working to roll out a fix.  Sorry and we'll keep you updated!

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 12, 2024

  In an update on its website, OpenAI said, “We have identified a pathway to recovery, and we are starting to see some traffic successfully return. Continuing to work to return service to normal.” 

 

Outage tracking platform Downdetector.com recorded 2,483 reports of disruptions as of early Thursday morning, according to a report by India Today. 

 

The outage has significantly affected OpenAI services, including premium subscribers and businesses using the API for AI-based projects. GPTPro users have reported being unable to access the chatbot, while others have encountered slow logins and reduced performance.

 

This is not the first disruption for ChatGPT. On November 8, the chatbot was unavailable to over 19,000 users worldwide for 30 minutes. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged the incident, tweeting, “We are much, much better at reliability than we used to be, but clearly more work in front of us.”

 

In June, ChatGPT experienced a more prolonged outage that lasted over five hours. 

Since its launch in November 2022, ChatGPT has grown to attract 250 million weekly active users. OpenAI’s valuation has skyrocketed from $14 billion in 2021 to $157 billion, with revenues reaching $3.6 billion. Earlier this month, Altman noted that the company's technology now serves 300 million active users weekly.

WhatsApp, Facebook face global outage

Social media platforms WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook experienced outages on Wednesday night, affecting thousands of users globally and disrupting communication and social media activities. Meta acknowledged the technical issue and said that it was conducting final checks as the majority of users reported regaining access to the platforms. 

Outage tracking website DownDetector indicated that over 50,000 Facebook users experienced problems, including difficulties logging in, uploading posts, and updating content around 11 pm (IST). Similarly, Instagram faced disruptions for more than 23,000 users, with many unable to access or update posts.