OpenAI ChatGPT Outage: Users ‘being forced to use their own brains again.‘
Update: OpenAI Services Fully Restored (December 27, 2024)
The chatgpt outage affecting ChatGPT, Sora, and the OpenAI API has been resolved and the services are now fully operational.
The OpenAI ChatGPT outage, which began around 1:30 p.m. ET on December 26th, lasted approximately five hours.
While OpenAI did not specify the exact cause, they attributed the issue to an “upstream provider.”
The outage coincided with a power issue reported by Microsoft affecting some of their services.
Down Detector showed a significant spike in outage reports during the incident. OpenAI has stated they will conduct a full root cause analysis.
The OpenAI ChatGPT Outage Hits Sora and ChatGPT API
On Thursday afternoon, December 26th, 2024, the OpenAI ChatGPT outage left millions of users unable to access the popular AI chatbot and Sora.
Reports of ChatGPT being down began flooding in around 1:30 p.m. EST, quickly escalating into a widespread service disruption.
Downdetector.com registered over 50,000 reports of chatgpt outages, highlighting the scale of the problem.
Even a Forbes query sent to ChatGPT at 3:40 p.m. EST resulted in an “Internal Server Error,” confirming ChatGPT not working anymore.
However, other popular services using OpenAI’s API, like Perplexity and Siri’s Apple Intelligence integration, were not affected by the ChatGPT outage
Understanding the OpenAI ChatGPT Downtime
The OpenAI ChatGPT outage wasn’t a minor glitch; it was a substantial disruption affecting the functionality of one of the world’s most popular AI tools.
So, Is Chat GPT down?
Yes, at least for a considerable period on December 26th.
Many users found themselves asking, “Is ChatGPT down right now?”
The sheer number of users impacted underscores the reliance on this technology.
The question “Is ChatGPT down?” became a trending topic across social media. Even rival chatbot users on X (formerly Twitter) joined in the conversation, joking about being forced to use their own brains again.
The Root Cause of ChatGPT Outage and OpenAI’s Response
OpenAI acknowledged the ChatGPT downtime in an update posted at 4:05 p.m. EST.
On their status page, they attributed the problem to an unnamed internet service provider, stating they were “continuing to work on a fix for this issue.”
The company’s statement, posted on X, said: “We’re sorry for the trouble this is causing. We’ve identified the issue and have started recovery. We hope to be back asap.”
This outage marks the second major disruption this month, following a roughly six-hour outage two weeks prior, according to TechCrunch.
The earlier incidents, along with a few-hour outage in early June, raise concerns about the stability of the service.
Financial Implications and OpenAI’s Valuation
The OpenAI ChatGPT outage, while inconvenient for users, also has potential financial implications for OpenAI.
The company, valued at a staggering $157 billion following a $6.6 billion funding round in October, relies heavily on the continued smooth operation of its flagship product.
CEO Sam Altman recently announced that ChatGPT boasts over 300 million weekly users sending over one billion messages daily.
This massive user base makes any outage a significant event. The disruption reinforces the need for robust infrastructure and redundancy to prevent future ChatGPT outage.
Looking Ahead: OpenAI’s Track Record and Future Stability
Past outages have typically been resolved within a few hours.
If OpenAI follows this pattern, the OpenAI ChatGPT outage that affected the ChatGPT API and Sora, should be resolved relatively quickly. However, the frequency of these disruptions raises questions about the long-term stability and scalability of the system.
Update: OpenAI Services Fully Restored (December 27, 2024)
