24th January 2025, Kathmandu
ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, experienced a major outage on Thursday. The service went down at 5:00 PM local time, affecting users around the world, including Nepal.
ChatGPT Down Global Outage
The outage lasted for nearly two hours. During this time, users trying to access the website faced issues. However, the mobile app remained functional, allowing some users to continue using ChatGPT.
Website Error Reported by Users
When users tried to visit the ChatGPT website, they encountered a “bad gateway” error. This error signaled a problem with OpenAI’s web servers. Many users were unable to access the platform through the website.
On the other hand, the mobile app appeared to be unaffected by the issue. Users who accessed ChatGPT through the mobile app were able to continue interacting with the chatbot without any issues.
Despite the website being down, the app remained fully functional, allowing users to ask questions and receive responses from ChatGPT as usual. This provided some relief to those who were unable to access the service via the website during the outage.
Global Reports of Downtime
The outage led to a flood of reports on social media and Down Detector. Users from Nepal, the United States, and other countries shared their struggles online. They reported being unable to access the website or facing frequent interruptions. The widespread nature of the issue highlighted how many users were impacted.
Intermittent Access Throughout the Day
Though OpenAI worked to resolve the problem, some users continued to face challenges. The website would work for a short time before going down again. This caused frustration for those trying to use ChatGPT. OpenAI has not yet explained the cause of the issue, but they have assured users they are addressing it.
The outage emphasized the challenges of maintaining a stable AI service. OpenAI is likely working to improve its infrastructure to prevent future disruptions.
