ChatGPT Experiences Outage: Users Report ‘Bad Gateway Error’

Outage Details

According to Downdetector, the problems with ChatGPT began around 5 PM IST and are ongoing. Over 3,000 users have reported the outage on Downdetector, citing issues such as the platform failing to open and the appearance of a ‘bad gateway’ error from the web server. Many app users are also reporting that the app is either not opening or has logged them out.

Previous Incident Reported by OpenAI

Earlier in the day, around 4:00 PM, OpenAI acknowledged an incident of elevated error rates in the API on its official website. The company stated that they were addressing the problem and, by 4:43 PM, announced its resolution. The incident affected ChatGPT and the API between 3:33 AM and 4:23 AM PST.

Speculation on the Cause

There is speculation that the outage may be related to OpenAI’s anticipated launch of ChatGPT’s Operator this week, possibly on Thursday. The ongoing developments and preparations for this new feature could be contributing to the current issues.

ChatGPT Operator: An Overview

According to reports, OpenAI has been developing ChatGPT Operator, an AI agent designed to automate user tasks accessible through a web browser. This new AI operator is expected to streamline various tasks, including reservations and travel bookings, potentially transforming how users interact with the AI platform and expanding ChatGPT’s functionality beyond simple query responses.

How ChatGPT Operator Works

The rumored AI operator is expected to assist users in automating tasks across different categories such as dining and events, delivery, shopping, and travel, while also providing prompt suggestions within each category. When a user enters a prompt, a miniature screen will appear within the chatbot, displaying a browser and the actions being taken by the Operator agent. The agent may also ask follow-up questions to gather necessary details, such as the time and number of people for a restaurant reservation.