ChatGPT hit by widespread outage: ‘Our work partner is down’

A significant outage has struck ChatGPT, leaving many users unable to receive responses from the popular AI chatbot. Instead of generating answers, the service failed to react to prompts, causing widespread frustration, particularly during the busy morning work period.

Owner OpenAI has officially launched an investigation into the mysterious malfunction of ChatGPT after its status page confirmed a problem was detected.

Over a thousand complaints were registered on the outage tracking site Down Detector. Social media was flooded with reports from affected users, with one calling it an unprecedented event and another joking that their ‘work partner is down’.

Instead of a full global blackout, initial tests suggested the issue might be limited to some users, as functionality remained for others.

If you find ChatGPT is unresponsive, you can attempt several fixes instead of simply waiting. First, verify the outage is on your end by checking OpenAI’s official status page or Down Detector instead of assuming your connection is at fault.

If the service is operational, try switching to a different browser or an incognito window to rule out local cache issues. Alternatively, use the official ChatGPT mobile app to access it.

For a more thorough solution, clear your browser’s cache and cookies, or as a last resort, consider using an alternative AI service like Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini to continue your work without interruption.

OpenAI is working to resolve the problem. The company advises users to check its official service status page for updates, rather than relying solely on social media reports.

The incident highlights the growing dependence on AI tools for daily tasks and the disruption caused when such a centralised service experiences technical difficulties.

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