ChatGPT has experienced a major outage and has now fixed the issue, according to a recent report from OpenAI, the developer of the popular chatbot. This outage lasted for nearly 40 minutes on a particular day. This is not the first time ChatGPT has encountered such technical difficulties in the past few months, raising concerns as Google’s Gemini AI tool enters the market.
OpenAI acknowledged the issue on its website, stating that ChatGPT was unavailable from 5:32 PM to 6:10 PM PST. Downdetector, a website tracking service, received nearly 3,000 reports of ChatGPT crashing during the same period, aligning with OpenAI’s report.
Reviewing OpenAI’s incident report page reveals that this is not an isolated incident for ChatGPT. In November alone, there was another major outage on November 8, and various OpenAI services experienced accessibility issues on November 11.
This latest crash comes at a potentially challenging time for OpenAI as Google launched its Gemini large language model (LLM), which powers several AI services. However, Gemini has faced criticism regarding its capabilities and Google’s decision to release a fabricated hands-on video showcasing the tool.
As ChatGPT is now back online, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman shared the positive news on X (formerly Twitter), announcing that ChatGPT Plus subscriptions have been re-enabled. Altman humorously added, Thanks for your patience while we found more GPUs.
ChatGPT Plus is OpenAI’s subscription service that provides users with access to a more advanced LLM. For a monthly fee of $20 / £16, subscribers enjoy faster response times, priority access to new features and improvements, and an LLM powered by GPT-4 instead of the regular GPT-3.5 used in the standard version of ChatGPT.
Due to overwhelming demand, OpenAI had temporarily paused ChatGPT Plus subscriptions. Altman explained that a surge in usage following OpenAI’s DevDay developer conference had exceeded the company’s capacity, and they wanted to ensure everyone had a seamless experience.
With the emergence of Google Gemini, users may question the value of ChatGPT Plus. Google claims that Gemini outperforms GPT-4 in most tests; however, this comparison is based on Gemini’s high-end Ultra model, which is not currently available. Thus, for the time being, ChatGPT Plus remains the top choice for users seeking an AI chatbot until the launch of Gemini Ultra.
Despite the recent outage and growing competition, ChatGPT continues to be a reliable and popular choice for users looking for advanced language models. OpenAI’s swift resolution of the outage reflects their dedication to maintaining service quality. As the AI landscape evolves, both OpenAI and Google will likely continue to enhance their offerings and address any challenges that arise.
In conclusion, ChatGPT has resolved a major outage, allowing OpenAI to reopen its ChatGPT Plus subscriptions. This development comes amidst intensified competition from Google’s new Gemini AI tool. OpenAI’s responsiveness to the outage is crucial as users consider whether ChatGPT Plus remains the best option in the face of the upcoming Gemini Ultra launch. Despite recent challenges, ChatGPT remains a leading AI chatbot, with OpenAI committed to delivering exceptional service.
