ChatGPT Outage OpenAI Addresses Widespread Service Disruption

If you've attempted to use ChatGPT recently, you might have found the AI less responsive than usual. You're not alone; the service has been experiencing significant downtime for many users.

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When trying to use ChatGPT, whether via the website, the Windows or Mac app, or the iOS or Android app, users have been met with error messages indicating issues in the message stream or a general problem.

Outage Timeline and User Impact

User reports submitted to Downdetector show that the ChatGPT outage began gradually around 3 a.m. ET. It then saw a sharp increase in reports around 5:30 a.m. ET, exceeding 1,000. Although the number of reports has since decreased, the problem persists. (Note: Downdetector is also owned by ZDNET's parent company, Ziff Davis.)

OpenAI's Response and Recovery Efforts

On its official status page, OpenAI has acknowledged that the service is currently facing issues. One update mentioned elevated error rates and latency affecting ChatGPT, the Sora text-to-video platform, and its APIs over several hours. Another more recent update specifically highlighted elevated error rates for Sora.

At 9:07 a.m. ET, OpenAI announced it had identified the root cause of the problem and was working on a solution. By 10:54 a.m. ET, the company stated it was continuing to implement the fix and was observing some recovery in its APIs. However, OpenAI added that full recovery for all services, including ChatGPT and Sora, might take a few more hours.

As of 2 p.m. ET, eleven hours after the outage began, OpenAI reported it was still monitoring the applied fix and working towards complete restoration.

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Alternatives to ChatGPT During Downtime

If you rely on generative AI and ChatGPT is your primary tool, what can you do in the meantime? Fortunately, numerous alternatives are available.

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Beyond ChatGPT, popular choices include Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Anthropic's Claude AI, and Perplexity. For general inquiries, Gemini is a strong contender. For engaging voice conversations, Copilot, accessible directly in Windows, is a good option. Both Gemini and Copilot offer free versions that are capable of handling most common tasks.

Important Disclosure

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, ZDNET's parent company, filed an April 2025 lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

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