OpenAI Investigates Widespread Disruptions to ChatGPT Image and File Services

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — OpenAI is actively investigating a widespread technical incident causing failures in image generation and significant delays when users attempt to upload files to its ChatGPT platform. The disruption, which began on Tuesday afternoon, has affected service reliability across the company's flagship artificial intelligence chatbot.

The issues were first detected around 4:38 p.m. UTC on September 8, 2026. Users reported that requests to generate images via DALL-E 3 and other integrated visual tools are timing out or returning error messages. Simultaneously, the file upload feature, a critical component for document analysis and context provision, has experienced severe latency. Some users described wait times extending beyond several minutes before files would process, while others reported complete failure to attach documents.

OpenAI acknowledged the outage on its official status page shortly after the initial reports surfaced. The company stated that engineers are working to identify the root cause of the degradation in service performance. No specific timeline for a full resolution has been provided, though the status dashboard indicates that the incident is currently being investigated.

The disruption impacts millions of daily users who rely on ChatGPT for professional workflows, creative projects, and educational tasks. The simultaneous failure of both image generation and file handling suggests a potential backend infrastructure issue rather than an isolated problem with a single feature. However, OpenAI has not confirmed whether the two distinct service failures are linked by a single technical fault or if they represent separate concurrent incidents.

As of late Tuesday afternoon, traffic to the platform appeared normal in terms of login access, but functional capabilities remain impaired. Users attempting to utilize the paid Plus and Team tiers reported similar issues as those on free accounts, indicating the problem is not isolated to specific subscription levels. The outage has sparked frustration among developers who integrate ChatGPT APIs into third-party applications, as the instability disrupts automated workflows dependent on file processing and visual outputs.

OpenAI has a history of rapid response to service interruptions, often resolving issues within hours. However, the nature of this incident remains unclear. It is unknown whether the cause stems from a software deployment error, a surge in global demand exceeding server capacity, or an external infrastructure failure affecting cloud providers. The company has not released further details regarding the specific technical components under review.

The situation remains fluid as engineers continue to diagnose the problem. OpenAI has pledged to provide updates as more information becomes available. Until a fix is deployed, users are advised to expect continued interruptions in image creation and file management features. The broader impact on the company's service reputation and user trust will depend on the duration of the outage and the clarity of the eventual explanation provided by the San Francisco-based firm.