ChatGPT was down for many, as OpenAI confirmed an issue — here's everything we know (www.techradar.com)

On February 3, 2026, OpenAI experienced significant disruptions with ChatGPT, leading to widespread user reports of access issues as noted on Down Detector. OpenAI confirmed two primary issues: elevated error rates for finetuning jobs and increased errors affecting ChatGPT and its platform. Many users reported delays or failures when attempting to interact with the AI, with outages peaking at over 12,000 reports before gradually declining. Despite the problems, some users, particularly those with ChatGPT Plus accounts, found that the service was operational, albeit slower than usual. By 4:21 PM ET, OpenAI announced they had identified and addressed the issues, indicating a recovery in performance for several users in the U.S., while those in other regions, such as the UK and parts of Europe, continued to experience difficulties. This incident underscores the challenges of maintaining reliable AI services at scale, especially during high-demand periods. OpenAI's proactive communication about service disruptions reflects their commitment to transparency and user experience, crucial qualities for sustaining trust in AI technologies.