- OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Sora, and APIs experienced a major global outage on June 10
- Both free and premium ChatGPT Plus users were impacted
- OpenAI confirmed the issue and is actively working on resolution, but no exact fix timeline given
OpenAI’s widely used AI chatbot, ChatGPT, along with related services such as Sora and various APIs, experienced a major global outage today. This disruption prevented millions of users—including tech experts, students, and professionals across continents, including Africa—from accessing the platform, emphasizing the world’s increasing dependence on AI technology.
Reports of service interruptions began appearing on outage monitoring sites like DownDetector early Tuesday, June 10. By 6:44 a.m. GMT, 705 complaints had been logged, a number that quickly grew as users worldwide struggled to connect. Users reported issues ranging from complete unresponsiveness and persistent error messages (“Hmm…something seems to have gone wrong”) to login loops and blank chat screens. Both free users and those subscribed to the premium ChatGPT Plus service were affected, underscoring the severity of the problem.
OpenAI promptly acknowledged the issue via its official status page, initially stating, “Some users are experiencing elevated error rates and latency across the listed services. We are continuing to investigate this issue.” Subsequent updates confirmed that the root cause had been identified and that mitigation efforts were underway, though no exact timeline for full service restoration was provided, leaving many users waiting anxiously.
The outage highlighted just how deeply AI tools like ChatGPT have become embedded in daily academic, professional, and personal routines. Social media platforms—especially X (formerly Twitter)—buzzed with frustrated users sharing error screenshots and lamenting lost work. The incident sparked a wave of humorous yet telling memes about the sudden dependence on AI. Meanwhile, competing AI chatbots such as Google’s Gemini, Elon Musk’s Grok, and Perplexity AI remained operational, offering users alternative options for tasks like drafting emails, coding, and research. This unexpected disruption showcased the growing competition in the AI space and the readiness of other platforms to fill gaps when needed.
Since its November 2022 launch, ChatGPT has rapidly grown to an estimated 500 million users worldwide, becoming a key digital tool. This latest outage—following similar incidents in December, January, and March—serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in advanced AI infrastructure and underscores the need for more resilient, robust systems to support the world’s escalating reliance on artificial intelligence.
