The AI community was abuzz with activity on Thursday afternoon as reports flooded social media platforms, primarily X, regarding a significant outage affecting OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Users on both mobile and desktop encountered an error message, “The server is having a problem, please try again later,” raising concerns and sparking a flurry of online discussions and memes by netizens.
The Outage and User Impact
According to multiple reports and data from Downdetector, over 600 users experienced difficulties accessing ChatGPT during the outage. This unexpected disruption left users unable to engage with the AI platform, and some even reported issues accessing their previous chats, indicating potential challenges in data retrieval.
ChatGPT is terrible today.
— Ryan Badger (@ryanseanbadger) January 11, 2024
I wish they wouldn't distract themselves with things like the "Store" which frankly, is pretty useless IMHO, especially if it comes at the price of the core feature being down. pic.twitter.com/SVGEJsOvIi
Possible Causes and Company Response
The officials at the organization came forward with an official response acknowledging the issue but they did not state the exact cause of the outage. Users, curious about the underlying issue, turned to social media channels for updates.
GPT Store Launch and Increased Traffic
The timing of the outage, following the highly anticipated launch of the GPT Store, raises questions about whether increased user traffic, possibly driven by the introduction of custom GPTs and monetisation options, contributed to the service disruption.
Is it just me or ChatGPT is down? 🙁 pic.twitter.com/rhCEGlwui7
— Daniel Nguyen (@daniel_nguyenx) January 11, 2024
Introduction of ChatGPT Team Subscription
Amid these technical challenges, OpenAI introduced the ChatGPT Team subscription, offering a comprehensive package for users at $25 per user, per month. This subscription includes enhanced features like a higher message cap, an admin console, advanced data analytics, and a commitment from OpenAI not to use user data for training future ChatGPT models.
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Netizens Finding Solace
Despite the frustrations caused by the outage, netizens took to X to express their concerns, share experiences, and even create memes to lighten the mood. The online community showcased its resilience by turning a challenging situation into an opportunity for humour and camaraderie. Some of the memes circulating on X were extremely witty and creative, turning a technical hiccup into a shared experience.
Is it just me or ChatGPT is down? 🙁 pic.twitter.com/rhCEGlwui7
— Daniel Nguyen (@daniel_nguyenx) January 11, 2024
The ChatGPT outage serves as a reminder of the complexities involved in maintaining and scaling AI platforms. The community’s ability to come together, share experiences, and inject humour into the situation demonstrates the growing tide of netizens in the world.
