ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude all seemed to be having issues and mysteriously went offline. Users around the world were puzzled, trying to figure out what caused this unexpected downtime on all these AI platforms.

What Happened to ChatGPT

On June 4th, 2024, OpenAI reported an incident and stated that "ChatGPT is unavailable for some users". ChatGPT experienced a significant outage that affected all users across various plans. The disruption impacted all ChatGPT-related services but notably did not affect platform.openai.com or the API. According to developer, the issue was resolved the same day.

Despite the resolution, many users are still having trouble. OpenAI advised users accessing ChatGPT via the web at chatgpt.com to perform a 'hard refresh' to ensure proper functionality.

Staff from OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, released a letter titled "A Right to Warn About Advanced Artificial Intelligence." In the letter, they highlight the risks associated with AI, which range from deepening current inequalities to spreading misinformation and potentially losing control of autonomous AI systems, which could lead to human extinction. The letter urges companies to accept criticism without retaliating against their employees.

What To Do If ChatGPT Is Not Working

When ChatGPT experiences an outage, it can be frustrating. You rely on ChatGPT for many tasks, and suddenly, it’s not working. Don’t worry, though. There are ways to continue using GPT-4o even during a major outage. Here’s how.

1. Check OpenAI Status

Before you do anything else, check the OpenAI Status page. This page gives you real-time updates on any issues. You can see if ChatGPT is down due to a major outage or if it’s just a minor hiccup. This is the best way to know what’s happening and when it might be fixed.

2. Use ChatGPT Alternatives for GPT-4o Access

While ChatGPT is down, you can use alternatives like ChatLabs. ChatLabs is a platform that offers access to GPT-4o and more than 30 other advanced AI models. It remains operational even if ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity are not.

ChatLabs Features:

• Always Available: The platform is operational and always accessible as long as API access to specific models is working well.

• Wide Range of AI Models: In addition to GPT-4o, ChatLabs gives you access to models like Claude 3, Llama 3, and Gemini 1.5 Pro.

• AI Assistants with DIfferent Models: You can create custom GPT assistants using any available AI model.

• Unlimited Messages: Unlike ChatGPT, ChatLabs does not limit the number of messages you can send.

• Compare AI Models: Use the Split Screen feature to compare the quality and speed of different models.

• AI Image Generation: ChatLabs supports image generation with Dalle-3 and Stable Diffusion 3.

• Cost-Effective Subscription: For $20/month, you get access to all Pro models, saving hundreds.

By following these steps, you can continue using GPT-4o even when ChatGPT is not working. Remember to check for updates regularly and have a backup plan ready for future outages.