Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 3: ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot from OpenAI, experienced a brief but significant outage on Wednesday, causing disruptions for users worldwide. Reports on platforms like Downdetector, which tracks service outages, showed a peak of over 500 reports from India alone around 12:44 PM IST. Users reported a range of issues, including an inability to receive responses and the disappearance of their past conversations.

The outage primarily affected the web version of the chatbot, though app users also reported problems. OpenAI has not yet released an official statement regarding the cause of the disruption. This is not the first time ChatGPT has faced technical issues, with previous outages occurring in July.

Users took to social media to express their frustration and concern. One user wrote, "There is a glitch today in ChatGPT. All of its replies have disappeared from all conversations!" Another user highlighted the reliance on the tool, joking, "ChatGPT is down. You won’t see some people today." Many users, particularly professionals, expressed that the outage was hindering their work.

In a separate development, OpenAI had announced on Tuesday that it would be introducing parental controls for ChatGPT. The decision came after reports emerged that the AI system had allegedly provided harmful advice to a teenager. The new feature will allow parents to link their accounts with their children's and set age-appropriate content filters. OpenAI also stated that parents would be notified if the system detects that a teen is in acute distress. The company aims to roll out these new parental controls within the next month.

As of the time of reporting, many users confirmed on social media that the service had been restored and they were able to log back in and use the platform.