ChatGPT back online after global outage; Delhi, Hyderabad and Lucknow amongst the worst hit by the disruption

ChatGPT, OpenAI’s popular AI-powered chatbot, has returned online after a significant outage on Thursday disrupted service for users worldwide. 

The San Francisco-based AI company addressed the outage on its status page, confirming that a fix was implemented at 8:39 PM IST. The company assured users it was “monitoring the results” following the resolution, though the cause of the disruption remains unclear.

Thousands of users affected globally

Over 3,700 users reported issues via Downdetector, with many unable to access the platform between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM IST. Those attempting to use the service were greeted with error messages, including “the web server reported a bad gateway error” and the ominous “Error 503: Service Temporarily Unavailable.”

Indian cities among the worst hit

Notably, Downdetector highlighted the most affected cities through its heat map, which displays areas with the highest concentration of user-submitted problem reports over the past 24 hours. Among Indian cities, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Agra, and Lucknow were significantly impacted.

This outage is the third major disruption for ChatGPT since December, raising concerns about the reliability of the AI service. 

Humorous memes flood social media

Social media was soon flooded with humorous memes, as users reacted to the unexpected downtime. One X user (@KingMuss) jokingly tweeted, “Bruh ChatGPT is down again??? During the work day? So you’re telling me I have to… THINK?!” Another user quipped, “ChatGPT is down and I’m coding right now.”

Users explore alternatives to ChatGPT

As ChatGPT faced its challenges, users began exploring alternatives. Google’s Gemini, an advanced AI chatbot, emerged as a viable option, offering up-to-date information through Google search. Claude AI, developed by Anthropic, also gained attention for its emphasis on safety and creativity, while Perplexity AI has been praised for providing clear and accurate responses by integrating artificial intelligence with search technology.

Despite the outage, many users are hopeful that OpenAI will resolve the underlying issues, ensuring smoother operation moving forward. However, the frequent disruptions have prompted a broader discussion about the reliability of AI tools and their impact on users’ productivity.