Summary
The AI chatbot ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, experienced a massive outage during internal upheaval at the company. The downtime was due to issues with their database replicas and impacted non-completion API endpoints as well. This comes amidst a series of departures and scrutiny at OpenAI following the dismissal of CEO Sam Altman.
OpenAI, the prominent artificial intelligence company, recently experienced a tumultuous week. Amidst the internal chaos, the company’s AI chatbot, ChatGPT, encountered a widespread outage. The platform, widely used for various purposes, began to experience a surge in errors around 2 p.m. PT on a Tuesday.
“Amid the chaos, there is also opportunity” – Sun Tzu
Outage Details
OpenAI acknowledged the issue via their status site, stating that the problem had been identified and affected not just the chatbot but also “non-completion API endpoints.” The company confirmed they were diligently working on a fix, attributing the underlying problem to an issue with their database replicas.
A spokesperson for the company further responded to inquiries by referencing a tweet from a developer relations employee at OpenAI. The tweet read: “Hey folks: We’re aware of elevated error rates in ChatGPT and for some API users. The team is working on a fix. Should be resolved shortly.“
Verification of the Outage
The outage was verified when attempts to interact with ChatGPT resulted in an error message. The bot responded with: “Something went wrong. If this issue persists, please get in touch with us through our help center at help.openai.com.”
Outages – A Regular Occurrence?
Interestingly, outages are not an uncommon occurrence for ChatGPT. They typically happen when OpenAI implements new features. For instance, the company announced a version of ChatGPT that responds to voice commands around 3 p.m. ET, coinciding with an outage.
The chatbot had also suffered a previous outage earlier in the same month. The company announced that the outage was a result of a targeted attack that overwhelmed their systems – a DDoS attack.
OpenAI’s Week of Chaos
The outage occurred during a turbulent week at OpenAI, marked by high-profile departures and scrutiny. The company’s CEO, Sam Altman, was let go, though the reasons for his dismissal were unclear. Reports suggest that Altman may be considering a return to OpenAI.
The week’s events have put OpenAI in the spotlight, raising questions about the company’s stability and the future of its AI projects, including ChatGPT. As the company continues to navigate these challenges, all eyes will be on how it manages its technology and personnel changes.
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