As users of OpenAI’s popular chatbot platform ChatGPT continue to experience frustrating image generation errors and delays, the company is scrambling to get to the bottom of the issue. For over an hour now, hundreds of users have been reporting problems with uploading files and generating images through the service, with many encountering freezes and error messages.
The trouble started when OpenAI confirmed issues affecting ChatGPT’s image generation capabilities and its Images API. In a statement, the company revealed that it had seen a significant increase in failed requests to its Images API after its last update. This has led to some users experiencing file-upload processing failures and delays, with some files appearing uploaded but remaining unavailable while others fail altogether.
OpenAI has been working on mitigating measures to address these issues, but so far, they seem to be having little impact. The company’s latest update indicates that it is continuing to investigate the problem and assess the effectiveness of its mitigation efforts. While this might offer some hope for affected users, it’s clear that the service remains unreliable.
The current outage is not an isolated incident, with OpenAI having faced similar issues in recent weeks. Last month, the company experienced a major outage that prevented users from starting or continuing tasks across multiple subscription plans. More recently, it confirmed a widespread problem affecting nearly every major ChatGPT component.
The timing of this latest issue could be particularly concerning for some users, given the impending launch of OpenAI’s next major AI model, GPT-6 Astra. This new model has been touted as capable of identifying and developing zero-day exploits – but it also raises questions about how difficult these models might be to monitor and control.
As this story continues to unfold, one thing is clear: users of ChatGPT need to remain vigilant and prepared for the possibility that their sensitive data could be compromised. While OpenAI works to resolve the issue, we can’t help but wonder what other potential vulnerabilities lie hidden beneath the surface of its increasingly complex AI models.
In the meantime, here’s a practical takeaway for readers: when using cloud-based services like ChatGPT, it’s essential to regularly back up your data and keep an eye on service status updates. This way, you can minimize any potential damage if something goes wrong – and be prepared to take action if necessary.
Source: Bleeping Computer — 2026-09-08