ChatGPT went down for more than 10 hours yesterday, leaving millions of people across the globe staring at error messages instead of getting work done. The outage on June 10, 2025, made one thing crystal clear: we’re not just using AI anymore—we’re completely dependent on it.
Think about it: marketing teams couldn’t write their campaigns, developers got stuck debugging code, and countless workers suddenly remembered what it felt like to draft emails without AI assistance. The blackout forced an uncomfortable realization—entire industries are now banking on OpenAI’s servers staying up and running.
What started as a cool new tool has quietly become the backbone of how millions of people work. And when that backbone breaks, even for a day, it exposes some serious questions about putting so many eggs in one digital basket.
Users took to social media channels to express their panic. @GraceNft89 posted on X, “ChatGPT is down…Which means I actually have to type out my own emails at work. Send prayers.”
Lucky_Lifeguard4578 commented on Reddit, saying, “I’m going to get fired if they don’t fix it soon.”
Other users, like Mia Simon, used images for humor.
how I feel after seeing that chatgpt is down pic.twitter.com/ART3npscMh
— Mia Simon (@MiaSim0n) June 10, 2025
What to do Next Time ChatGPT is Down?
It’s likely to happen again, so here are some ideas for Here’s what to do if ChatGPT or similar platforms go down again, and how to stay resilient when they do:
- Stay informed in real-time: Your first stop in the event of an outage should be OpenAI’s status page, where the company posts updates on service interruptions, incident reports, and recovery progress. During yesterday’s outage, OpenAI provided rolling updates as engineers investigated elevated error rates and gradually restored access. Bookmarking this page ensures you’re not left guessing about what’s happening.
- Back up your work early and often: Many users were caught mid-task when ChatGPT became unresponsive. To avoid similar disruptions, get in the habit of saving important prompts, ideas, and AI-assisted drafts in a local document or note-taking app. If you rely on ChatGPT for writing, coding, or research, backing up your work regularly can save you from losing key progress when systems go offline.
- Know the limits and the workarounds: Yesterday’s outage underscored how deeply integrated AI has become in everyday routines—from summarizing reports to drafting emails. If ChatGPT is crucial to your workflow, it’s worth outlining a fallback process for common tasks. That might mean switching to a manual method temporarily or using more traditional tools like Google Docs, Grammarly, or search engines until service resumes.
5 Other AI Alternatives to Use During an Outage
In the event of another ChatGPT disruption, these platforms can provide similar capabilities and help you stay on track:
Yesterday’s outage was a disruption, but also a reminder: staying productive with AI means planning for moments when it’s not available. By staying informed, backing up your work, knowing your workflows, and keeping alternatives ready, you can keep your momentum—even when your favorite tools go dark.