ChatGPT is back (mostly)! OpenAI outage ends as services recover. (Update)

ChatGPT was down earlier today, with the popular AI tool from OpenAI experiencing a partial outage.

Reports of ChatGPT being down started spiking on Downdetector around 5 AM ET and persisted for several hours.

OpenAI confirmed the outage and shared details regularly.

What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a chatbot from OpenAI that is used by hundreds of millions of people. The tool can be used for everything from advanced coding to answering general questions.

While ChatGPT is far from the only AI tool of its kind, it's one of the most well-known. In a similar way to how people use the term "Google" to refer to a general internet search, "ChatGPT" has become the default in the minds of many for AI-powered chatbots.

Microsoft and ChatGPT

Microsoft is heavily invested in ChatGPT's maker, OpenAI. The multi-billion-dollar partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI has been under stress recently, but the two tech giants still work closely together.

Microsoft no longer holds exclusive cloud provider status for OpenAI but retains the right of first refusal. OpenAI has stated that Microsoft lacks sufficient computing resources, which has affected progress toward goals such as reaching AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently said, "Every day that ChatGPT succeeds is a fantastic day for Microsoft."

In addition to having arguably the best model for coding, ChatGPT has several capabilities that are fun to explore. A recent trend saw people use ChatGPT to generate pictures of their perfect Tinder match.

The AI that powers ChatGPT is not perfect, even though it improves steadily. As a result, trends often include results that are comedic as well as those that are technically impressive.

Our Jennifer Young used ChatGPT to create an image of her ideal partner, but the result looked remarkably like her brother. Young also had ChatGPT generate images of the ideal matches for several members of the Windows Central team.