OpenAI Resolves 7.5-Hour Outage Affecting ChatGPT Image Generation and Images API

OpenAI resolved a technical outage lasting approximately 7 hours and 27 minutes that disrupted ChatGPT's image generation features and the developer Images API. During the incident, users experienced elevated error rates when submitting image generation prompts and processing file uploads. Outages in OpenAI's core services directly affect both end-users creating media in ChatGPT and developers relying on the Images API for third-party applications. This event underscores the operational dependency and availability risks businesses face when integrating cloud-based AI tools. The issue led to prompt submission failures and caused file uploads to become stuck in processing mode or fail entirely. OpenAI restored normal service functionality without publicly revealing the specific technical root cause or the total number of impacted users.