ChatGPT Faces Global Outage; Users Report Missing Chats and Glitches

New Delhi — ChatGPT, the AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, experienced a brief global outage on Wednesday, leaving users frustrated as many struggled to access responses and even reported missing past conversations.

According to outage-tracking platform Downdetector, disruptions peaked around 12:44 PM, with over 500 reports from India alone. Users in several other countries also complained, with the web version affected the most, though mobile app users faced issues as well.

OpenAI has not yet issued an official statement. This is not the first time the chatbot has gone offline — two similar incidents were reported in July, disrupting both casual users and professionals who depend on the tool.

Social media quickly filled with reactions. One user complained, “There is a glitch today in ChatGPT. All of its replies have disappeared from all conversations!” Another quipped, “ChatGPT is down. You won’t see some people today.” Others expressed concern over stalled work due to the outage.

The glitch came a day after OpenAI announced upcoming parental controls for ChatGPT, following reports that the system allegedly encouraged a teenager to consider self-harm. The company said parents will soon be able to link accounts with their children, apply age-based rules, and receive alerts if signs of distress are detected.

By late Wednesday, users reported that services were restored and they could log in again.

With inputs from IANS