OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform has faced growing criticism from subscribers in recent weeks due to recurring outages and restrictions on its advanced AI model, Sora. These issues have sparked frustration among users, many of whom rely on the platform for professional tasks, creative projects, and everyday problem-solving.
Why it matters: As AI tools become integral to workflows across industries, disruptions and limitations in access can significantly impact productivity and user satisfaction. OpenAI’s challenges highlight the complexities of scaling AI services while maintaining reliability.
Recurring Outages Impact Users
On March 24, 2025, ChatGPT experienced one of its most significant outages, affecting multiple models, including ChatGPT-4o and 3.5. The disruption was particularly pronounced in the United States, where users encountered persistent error messages and were unable to process prompts or access Sora features.
Key details about the outage:
- Timeline: Reports of service disruptions began at 9 AM ET and peaked before subsiding around 11 AM ET.
- Severity: The most critical period lasted approximately 45 minutes, during which prompts couldn’t be processed and Sora was unavailable.
- Global Impact: While the outage primarily affected U.S.-based users, it underscored regional vulnerabilities in OpenAI’s infrastructure.
OpenAI acknowledged the outage on its status page but provided limited details about the cause. The company assured users that mitigation efforts were underway and normal service resumed gradually. Despite OpenAI’s impressive uptime record of over 99%, this incident adds to a series of disruptions that have occurred in recent months, including outages in December 2024 and January 2025.
Sora Restrictions Frustrate Subscribers
In addition to outages, many ChatGPT Plus subscribers have expressed dissatisfaction with restrictions on Sora, OpenAI’s advanced AI model for video generation. These limitations have hindered users from fully utilizing Sora’s capabilities, particularly for video creation—a feature many had anticipated when subscribing to premium tiers like Pro at $200 per month. Key updates like native image generation have aimed to improve the experience, but access remains limited for many.
Key concerns include:
- Temporary Disabling: OpenAI temporarily disabled Sora video generation for new accounts over a week ago due to heavy traffic. Existing subscribers who hadn’t previously used Sora were also affected by these restrictions.
- Lack of Transparency: OpenAI’s help pages mention the limitations but key pages like pricing do not explicitly warn users about them. This lack of clarity has led to confusion among subscribers unaware of the restrictions before signing up.
- Traffic Strain: OpenAI has cited heavy traffic as the reason for limiting access to Sora video generation, leaving many users unable to leverage its full potential.
Subscribers have taken to social media platforms to voice their frustrations, with some questioning whether OpenAI can effectively scale its services while meeting user expectations.
Implications for OpenAI and AI Industry
The disruptions and restrictions have broader implications for OpenAI and the AI industry:
- User Trust: Recurring outages and unclear communication about service limitations risk eroding trust among subscribers who depend on reliable access to AI tools.
- Scalability Challenges: As demand for AI-powered solutions grows, companies like OpenAI must address infrastructure strain and ensure consistent service delivery across regions.
- Competitive Pressure: With alternative platforms like Google Bard and Microsoft Copilot gaining traction, OpenAI faces increasing pressure to maintain reliability and transparency to retain its user base.
Looking Ahead
As AI becomes more integrated into daily workflows, ensuring reliable service and addressing user concerns will remain critical priorities for OpenAI. Subscribers expect unrestricted access to advanced models like Sora and minimal downtime—challenges that require robust infrastructure and clear communication strategies.
While these issues may frustrate users in the short term, they also highlight opportunities for improvement as OpenAI refines its technology to meet growing demand
