ChatGPT Image Generation Hit by Ongoing Outage

Users trying to generate images through ChatGPT are running into errors and freezes, with file uploads also stalling, according to hundreds of reports tracked by DownDetector. OpenAI has confirmed the issues and says it is working to resolve them, but the disruption has already stretched for more than an hour.

Outage Confirmed by OpenAI

OpenAI acknowledged the problems on its status page, saying it is investigating elevated errors affecting image generation in ChatGPT and the Images API. The company linked the spike in failed API requests to a recent update. Users have reported that ChatGPT hangs or freezes when they try to upload a file, and that image generation prompts return errors.

File Uploads Delayed or Failing

In a separate update, OpenAI noted it is continuing to look into file-upload processing failures and delays in ChatGPT. "Some files may appear uploaded but remain unavailable while processing; other uploads may fail," the company said. This can leave users uncertain whether their files have actually been received.

Mitigations in Progress

About 40 minutes after the initial confirmation, OpenAI said it was applying mitigations and assessing their effect. "Some image requests may still fail," the company added, indicating that the fixes are not yet fully effective. The status page remains one of the primary sources of updates.

Previous Disruptions This Month

This is not the first time OpenAI has dealt with service interruptions recently. Last month, the company addressed an outage that prevented users across multiple subscription plans from starting or continuing tasks. More recently, on Thursday, OpenAI confirmed a major outage affecting ChatGPT and Codex following widespread reports of errors touching nearly every major ChatGPT component.

Context: Upcoming GPT-6 Astra Launch

The latest issues come ahead of the expected launch of OpenAI's next major AI model, GPT-6 Astra. The company revealed the model in early August and claims it can "identify and develop functional zero-day exploits of all severity levels." While it is unclear if the outages are directly related to the upcoming release, they add pressure on OpenAI to ensure platform stability during a critical period.

Ongoing Monitoring

OpenAI has not provided a timeline for full recovery, and the status page is likely to be updated as more information becomes available. Users experiencing issues are advised to check the status page for the latest updates and to be aware that uploads may not be immediately available.

Why It Matters for Users

These repeated disruptions could mean that businesses and individuals relying on ChatGPT for image generation or file handling may face intermittent delays. If the issues persist, teams that depend on the platform for daily tasks might need to consider workarounds or alternative tools to maintain productivity. Continued outages could also raise questions about the reliability of AI services as they become more central to workflows.