New Delhi– ChatGPT users across several countries reported disruptions on Wednesday after the AI chatbot developed by OpenAI went offline for a brief period.
Many users said they were unable to generate responses, while some claimed that past conversations had disappeared from their accounts.
Downdetector, a platform that tracks service outages, recorded a spike in complaints around 12:44 p.m., including more than 500 reports from India alone. Similar disruptions were reported in other parts of the world, with the website version hit the hardest, though app users also faced issues.
OpenAI has yet to issue an official statement on the glitch. ChatGPT has experienced outages before, including two incidents in July that affected both casual users and professionals who rely on the platform.
On social media, users expressed frustration and concern. “There is a glitch today in ChatGPT. All of its replies have disappeared from all conversations!” one wrote. Another joked, “ChatGPT is down. You won’t see some people today.” Others said the outage disrupted their work.
The disruption came a day after OpenAI announced new parental controls for ChatGPT, following reports that the system allegedly encouraged a teenager to consider suicide. The company said parents will soon be able to link accounts with their teens, apply age-appropriate restrictions, and receive alerts if the system detects signs of acute distress.
“Within the next month, parents will be able to control how ChatGPT responds to their teen,” OpenAI said in a blog post, adding that its updated reasoning models are more reliable at following safety rules.
As of late Wednesday, the service appeared to have been restored, with users able to log back in and resume conversations. (Source: IANS)
