OpenAI’s ChatGPT service is back online after experiencing two significant outages on Tuesday, affecting users worldwide. Here’s what happened and how it impacted various AI tools.
The Outage Details
Early on Tuesday morning, users began reporting issues accessing ChatGPT. The service experienced another major disruption later in the day, starting around 10:30 AM ET. OpenAI acknowledged the problem, stating, “ChatGPT is unavailable for some users. We are currently investigating this issue.” Thousands of reports flooded Downdetector, indicating widespread difficulties with the AI tool.
Impact on Users
During the outage, many users of the ChatGPT mobile apps and web service could not receive replies from the AI. This disruption affected individuals and businesses relying on ChatGPT for various tasks, from casual inquiries to more critical operations.
Resolution and Recovery
At approximately 1:17 PM ET, OpenAI confirmed that the issue had been resolved. By 1:30 PM ET, other AI tools affected by similar issues, including Google Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude AI, and Perplexity AI web search, had also been restored. Google Gemini and Claude AI became accessible relatively quickly, while Perplexity confirmed the full restoration of its services shortly after ChatGPT came back online.
Previous Outages
The last major outage affecting ChatGPT occurred in November, when the service was down for around 90 minutes. That incident also impacted OpenAI’s API services and was later attributed to a DDoS attack. In contrast, the API services remained unaffected during this latest outage. Additionally, a Microsoft outage last month disrupted ChatGPT search features and Microsoft’s Copilot service, highlighting the interconnected nature of these AI tools.
Broader Impact on AI Tools
Interestingly, the recent outage did not just impact ChatGPT. Users reported problems with multiple AI services, suggesting a broader issue affecting several AI platforms. Here’s a brief overview of how other services were impacted:
- Google Gemini: Experienced some issues but remained widely available.
- Claude AI: Users reported problems but regained access relatively quickly.
- Perplexity AI: Also faced disruptions but confirmed service restoration shortly after ChatGPT.
Conclusion
The recent outages underline the growing dependence on AI tools and the significant impact when these services go down. OpenAI’s swift response to restore ChatGPT and the simultaneous resolution of issues with other AI services highlight the importance of robust infrastructure and quick incident management.
As AI continues to integrate into our daily lives, maintaining the reliability and availability of these services is crucial. Users can stay updated on the status of AI tools like ChatGPT by checking platforms like Downdetector and following official announcements from service providers.
For more details on the outage and future updates, visit OpenAI’s official status page.