ChatGPT Down OpenAI GPT-4o Free Users Decrypt

Popular AI chatbot ChatGPT experiences outage, leaving users frustrated. Try alternative options like Microsoft Copilot, Claude, or Reka AI's chatbot.

The world's most popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, has unexpectedly gone offline, leaving users in a state of confusion. The outage began early Tuesday at 00:21 PDT and has persisted for several hours, primarily affecting mobile users trying to access the app on Android devices. This localized issue indicates that the problem is not widespread across all platforms.

Reports from DownDetector show that the majority of issues are related to ChatGPT itself, rather than its website or app. While some lucky users have managed to access the service, many others are encountering difficulties. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has acknowledged the problem on its status page and is actively investigating the root cause.

This outage follows ChatGPT's recent decision to expand GPT-4o access to free users, granting them the same capabilities as paid users. This move likely led to a surge in users, potentially overwhelming the servers. Traffic analytics from Semrush reveal that ChatGPT's popularity skyrocketed, ranking as the 17th most visited website globally in March with an impressive 2.76 billion visits.

Server overloads and outages are not uncommon in the realm of AI tools. To address this, platforms like Claude and ChatGPT often restrict the number of interactions users can have with their tools. While users eagerly anticipate the return of the leading AI assistant, now might be the perfect opportunity to explore alternative options.

For those in need of GPT-4o capabilities, Microsoft Copilot, another tool utilizing GPT-4o, remains operational and accessible on Windows devices. It is seamlessly integrated into Microsoft's Edge browser and also available through a standalone website or mobile app compatible with iOS and Android.

Exploring other options, such as Claude with its text generation and coding capabilities, or Mistral AI's LeChat offering high-quality text generation, could provide viable alternatives. Additionally, Reka AI's multimodal chatbot, capable of understanding visual inputs and proficient text generation, presents another promising contender.

Meta AI's multimodal large language model (LLM) offers a free option, leveraging the power of Llama3, the most potent open-source LLM available. This model can generate images on demand, setting it apart from other chatbots and language models.

For those willing to delve deeper into AI experimentation, Nat.dev provides a platform to explore various models online. Alternatively, open-source models that can run on personal computers offer a privacy-conscious solution for users wary of sending data to corporate servers. With a plethora of options available, users can explore different AI tools while awaiting the return of ChatGPT.