Global Disruption: ChatGPT and Sora Go Down for Hours, Restored After Major Outage

Millions of users worldwide were left in frustration as OpenAI’s flagship services, ChatGPT and Sora, experienced a prolonged outage, rendering the platforms inaccessible for several hours. The disruption, which began around 11 AM PT, affected individuals and businesses heavily reliant on AI-driven tools for tasks ranging from professional projects to creative endeavors. What Happened? Users attempting to access ChatGPT encountered “internal server errors,” while OpenAI’s video generation platform, Sora, faced partial outages. OpenAI took to X (formerly Twitter) to address the issue, stating, “Most of ChatGPT, the API, and Sora have been down for a couple of hours and we’re sorry for the trouble this is causing. We’ve identified the issue and have started recovery.” By 6:15 PM ET, Sora had been fully restored, while ChatGPT and its API continued to recover throughout the evening. OpenAI attributed the downtime to issues with one of its upstream providers but did not elaborate further on the specifics. A Growing Pattern of Outages This marks the second major outage for ChatGPT in December alone, following a similar disruption on December 11, which lasted approximately six hours. During the previous incident, OpenAI revealed that a newly implemented telemetry service had overtaxed its hardware, leading to the widespread failure. Impact on Users The outage sparked frustration across social media, with users venting about the disruption to their workflows and creative projects. Businesses relying on ChatGPT for customer service, content creation, and other essential functions also felt the pinch, highlighting the growing dependency on AI-driven solutions. One user commented, “It’s incredible how much we’ve come to rely on tools like ChatGPT. A single outage feels like the world is at a standstill.” OpenAI’s Response OpenAI has since restored services and is actively monitoring its systems to prevent future disruptions. While the company has yet to provide a comprehensive explanation for the outage, its swift recovery efforts have been met with a mix of relief and skepticism from its global user base. The Bigger Picture As AI tools like ChatGPT and Sora continue to integrate deeper into daily life, these outages underscore the challenges of maintaining robust and reliable infrastructure for such highly demanded services. With millions of users depending on these platforms, OpenAI faces increasing pressure to ensure seamless performance and minimize disruptions. This incident serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of even the most advanced technologies and the critical importance of building resilient systems as the AI revolution continues to reshape the world.…

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