It’s not just you. ChatGPT is currently down [UPDATED]

2 min read

Update from December 26th, 2024 at 9:04PM EST:

OpenAI has posted the following update: “ChatGPT is mostly recovered and we are continuing to work on an overall fix.”

Update from December 26th, 2024 at 5:05PM EST:

OpenAI has posted the following update: “ChatGPT is partially recovered, while chat history is still not loading. We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue.”

Original story from December 26th, 2024 at 3:31PM EST follows below:

The popular AI platform ChatGPT is experiencing an outage, leaving many users unable to access its features. This isn’t the first time this has happened; earlier this month, there was another outage that coincided with the release of iOS 18.2, which integrated GPT into Siri.

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has gained significant attention for its ability to generate human-like text, translate languages, and answer questions in a comprehensive manner. It’s used by a variety of people, from students and writers to businesses and researchers. The outage is affecting not only ChatGPT but also the OpenAI API and the Sora video generation platform. OpenAI has acknowledged the issue on its website, stating that it’s caused by an “upstream provider.” They are actively working on resolving the problem, but there’s no estimated time for when the services will be back online.

OpenAI’s status page shows that ChatGPT and other services are down | Image credit — OpenAI

The recent launch of Sora, OpenAI’s groundbreaking text-to-video AI platform, has added another layer of complexity to the situation. Sora allows users to generate videos from text prompts, pushing the boundaries of AI capabilities. However, this cutting-edge technology requires significant computing power. Is it possible that the increased demand on OpenAI’s servers, due to the launch and adoption of Sora, has contributed to the current outage? We can only guess.

The introduction of Sora has generated immense excitement and interest within the tech community and beyond. Its potential applications span various fields, from entertainment and education to advertising and research. However, some estimate that this surge in usage could strain OpenAI’s infrastructure, potentially leading to instability and outages like the one we’re currently experiencing.

While the outage is undoubtedly frustrating for users, it’s worth noting that OpenAI is actively working to restore service. In the meantime, users may need to explore alternative AI platforms or rely on traditional methods to complete their tasks.

Meanwhile, this situation has inspired many new posts on the ChatGPT subreddit, where users are either requesting status updates or suggestions on alternatives. Some are even using this opportunity to joke about the fact that they may have become too dependent on the chatbot for their every day tasks. While some of these are tongue-in-cheek, they do make light of the fact that even the most sophisticated technologies are not immune to technical difficulties.

#ChatGPT #UPDATED