ChatGPT is experiencing a significant outage that is impacting users worldwide. Reports indicate that issues began around 15:00 Eastern Time on March 13, 2024, with complaints escalating rapidly. According to Down Detector, over 10,000 incidents were logged by 15:15, signaling a widespread disruption of the service across all platforms.
Potential Causes and Recent Developments
OpenAI has not yet issued an official statement regarding the outage. The timing of this disruption is notable, as it follows the recent launch of the Codex app for Mac, which has reportedly gained significant traction. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, noted that the app achieved over 200,000 downloads on its first day.
Additionally, on the same day, Apple released an update to Xcode that includes support for both Codex and Claude, another AI model. While it remains uncertain if these recent developments are directly linked to the ChatGPT outage, the surge in demand for the Codex app may be contributing to the current service issues.
User frustrations are mounting as individuals and businesses rely on ChatGPT for various applications, from content generation to coding assistance. The outage serves as a reminder of the challenges inherent in scaling AI technologies to meet sudden spikes in user demand.
As more users take to social media to express their concerns, the expectation is growing for OpenAI to provide clarity on the situation and outline steps to resolve the issues. The tech community will be watching closely for updates from the organization as users hope for a swift return to normal service.
