On September 3, 2025, users across the globe reported widespread issues accessing ChatGPT, OpenAI’s popular AI chatbot. The problem began around 12:25 PM IST and peaked shortly after, leaving many frustrated as the chatbot stopped displaying responses.
Global Outage Affects Both Web and App Users
Reports from outage monitoring platform Downdetector highlighted a surge in complaints related primarily to the web version of ChatGPT. About 82 percent of affected users could not get any response on various platforms, while 15 percent reported issues restricted to the website, and 2 percent had problems with the app. Although the app worked for some, the website often remained unresponsive.
OpenAI’s Response and Investigation
OpenAI acknowledged the partial outage on their official status page, describing it as an issue causing ChatGPT not to display responses. The company confirmed their engineers are actively investigating to resolve the glitch as soon as possible. No specific cause was revealed, but the issue is said to be related to the frontend web interface, not the AI model itself.
Incident Comes Amid New Safeguards for Vulnerable Users
This disruption occurred shortly after OpenAI announced plans to implement new safeguards to protect teenagers and users facing emotional distress. The company is working on parental controls and human monitoring of sensitive conversations to enhance user safety.
Impact on Users Worldwide
Millions relying on ChatGPT for productivity, study, business, and creative tasks experienced delays and disruption. Social media platforms saw a spike in complaints, with users expressing frustration over interrupted workflows.
How Users Can Manage During Outages
Users are advised to check OpenAI’s status page for updates, try the mobile app which might still be functional, clear browser caches, or switch to incognito mode. Most outages are temporary and resolved swiftly.
The ChatGPT outage on September 3, 2025, highlights the growing dependence on AI tools worldwide and the importance of robust infrastructure to support them. OpenAI’s quick acknowledgment and ongoing fixes aim to restore normal service soon.
