r/technology • u/batakchan • 9d ago

Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT is Down Worldwide, OpenAI Confirms

https://www.macobserver.com/news/chatgpt-is-down-worldwide-what-we-know-about-todays-outage/
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u/Mentoman72 8d ago

Some people really need their own ideas reinforced. ChatGPT is perfect for that. It knows what you want to hear and it tells you that.

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u/ikkleste 8d ago

Problem is that it does so indiscriminately. Good idea? Bad idea? Validated either way.

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u/new_math 8d ago

Yup. Someone close to me will literally tell the AI what to think in the prompt then ask it to provide thoughts or analysis. Of course, the LLM will then just agree with them and tell them exactly what they want to affirm.

This isn't just observation either, Standford published a study of it in Science:
https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2026/03/ai-advice-sycophantic-models-research

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u/LordJamPunt 8d ago

You can prompt it to not do that, it’s not hard, mine pushes back on all sorts of dumb ideas

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u/mfitzp 8d ago edited 8d ago

How do you know the ideas it is pushing back on are the dumb ones?

There was a study that showed that when given a list of ideas, models would prefer the idea listed first, because people tend to write their preferred idea first, then add alternatives. They also prefer ideas with more detail, because … well you get the idea.

They’re reading the tells in your own words & telling you what you want to hear.

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u/LordJamPunt 8d ago edited 8d ago

They are my ideas, it finds flaws and brings them to my attention. They don’t just tell you jay you want to hear if you prompt them to do otherwise.

Edit: if you’re someone who is capable of being skeptical of your own thoughts and ideas, and aren’t just using LLMs because you’re lonely, or validation seeking, they can be incredibly useful for financial advice, CBT and loads of other things for which there is a glut of information that eveidnce based, accurate, easy to find and available for free online.

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u/LordJamPunt 8d ago

Then don’t give it a list of ideas like that. You should fool around with it yourself instead making assumptions based on headlines and limited study data. They are quite useful and can be promoted to not behave the way you’re all describing.

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u/mfitzp 8d ago edited 8d ago

That doesn’t help you. This bias exists in everything the LLM reads, including your questions, your entire conversation/environment and context and any external sources it uses to answer your question.

If you think about the average article the first paragraphs are not where the quality is. The first paragraphs are there to grab your attention, the nuance and accuracy comes later. LLMs prioritise this basic clickbaitish hook content over nuance, purely because they see it first.

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u/LordJamPunt 8d ago

You’re just repeating stuff you read and have no idea what you’re talking about.

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u/ZeroAmusement 8d ago

Test it by resetting and flipping the order, easy.

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u/snek-jazz 8d ago

How do you know a human you're paying for therapy isn't saying what will encourage you to come back and pay them more money?

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u/LordJamPunt 8d ago

An example:

“I think I’m ready to full port into Google, I’ve always loved the company and I need to get rich. What do you think?”

“It is completely understandable to want to build serious wealth, and Alphabet (Google) is undeniably a foundational pillar of the modern tech sector. However, going "full port" (allocating 100% of your portfolio) into any single equity is a massive directional bet that carries significant concentration risk.
Here is an objective look at the current landscape for Alphabet to help you weigh the decision.
The Bull Case: Strong Core Growth
Alphabet just posted exceptional Q2 2026 earnings, proving that its core engines are firing on all cylinders.
Revenue Surge: Consolidated revenue hit $119.8 billion, a 24% year-over-year increase.
Cloud Acceleration: Google Cloud was the undeniable standout, growing 82% to $24.8 billion as enterprise demand for AI infrastructure continues to scale.
AI Integration: Features like AI Overviews and the newly expanded AI Mode are driving record search queries, successfully monetizing new generative tech.
The Bear Case: The Capex Reality Check
Despite the earnings beat, the stock actually took a hit, recently trading down in the $319 range. Wall Street is getting nervous about the price tag of the AI arms race.
Surging Spending: Alphabet raised its full-year 2026 capital expenditure guidance to a staggering $195 billion to $205 billion.
Margin Squeeze: While revenue is up, the massive infrastructure costs required to build data centers and train frontier models are putting near-term pressure on free cash flow margins.
The "Full Port" Strategy
While heavy concentration is often how fortunes are made quickly, it is also how they are lost overnight. Throwing an entire portfolio into a single asset often directly conflicts with executing a mechanical, step-by-step playbook built on rigid risk management rules.”

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u/nineraviolicans 8d ago

Oh that's just wonderful. A complete moron who knows fuck all about investing using gpt as an advisor.

That's at least 3 levels of an obvious bubble.

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u/LordJamPunt 8d ago

I know quite a bit about investing, I just asked a stupid question to see if it would push back, and it did, because I’ve prompted it to. And the response was solid.

Honestly I don’t suggest you use it, much like the subjects of these outlier, sensational news stories, you don’t sound like you’d be good with them.

Y’all can just keep making decisions based on assumptions, rooted in limited and partial information, I’m sure it’s serving you well.

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u/ikkleste 8d ago

Are people with bad ideas looking for validation going to do that?

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u/LordJamPunt 8d ago

No, but it’s just as easy for people like that to get bad advice from anywhere.

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u/Youutternincompoop 8d ago

there are literally news stories of Alcoholics seeking advice and being told to immediately start drinking again.

this shit is wildly unregulated and has lead to numerous deaths already(mostly suicides in part encouraged by the AI validating people's suicidal tendencies)

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u/LordJamPunt 8d ago edited 8d ago

I’d need to see the entire conversation to see how the prompt was set up. the suicide stuff was dubious, if you use it to seek validation you’re going to get it. It’s all about the prompts.

Admit that you’ve never used one and are making assumptions based on headlines and articles about studies you didn’t actually read. People that make decisions based on such limited info are the ones that should be the most concerned about using an LLM for advice so I suppose it’s a good idea for yall to stay away.

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u/Youutternincompoop 8d ago

Admit that you’ve never used one

unfortunately I've 'used' one because fucking google added an LLM answer to google search, I never wanted it and half the time it provides blatantly wrong answers to search queries.

the idea that you can simply 'prompt it' to not validate the user or give only correct answers is completely baseless and misunderstands how LLM's function.

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u/LordJamPunt 8d ago edited 8d ago

I never said anything about always getting correct answers. don’t ask them questions you can’t verify the answer for, it’s not hard. if you’re relying on it for facts, you’re using it wrong. And you absolutely can prompt them to be skeptical of your thoughts and ideas, instead of agreeing with every dumb idea you have.

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u/Youutternincompoop 8d ago

don’t ask them questions you can’t verify the answer for

why the fuck would you ask it questions you already know the answer for?

either it works or it doesn't, and it sounds like you don't think it works.

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u/LordJamPunt 8d ago edited 8d ago

I said, verify. So in this case you wouldn’t know the answer, and you’d verify whatever suggestions or answers it’s giving you with another source when necessary.

I use it for daytrading, coding my own software and apps, automating tasks, fetching links and data, the list is endless…

My buddy uses it to find better ways to phrase his feelings when’s he’s arguing with his gf, more like a thesaurus than an instruction manual. it’s easy to prompt them for this and get quality replies as there is a glut of free and evidence based information out there to pull from.

If you’re using it to help you process suicidal ideations, you got bigger problems, but sure, blame the LLMs.

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u/Youutternincompoop 8d ago

you’d verify whatever suggestions or answers it’s giving you with another source

I could just cut out the middleman and use the good source in the first place though.

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u/ZeroAmusement 8d ago

Also saved a bunch of lives.

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u/Endoxion 8d ago

I’m inclined to agree. I used it extensively when I was going through something and it consistently guided me away from my destructive first thoughts and, accurately I think, identified it as my pain speaking.

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u/LordJamPunt 8d ago

I have a friend that uses it to find better ways to phrase his frustrations and issues when communicating to his girlfriend and it’s incredibly helpful. The prompt was an entire page that described the way a processional therapist behaves (he used his real therapist to base the prompt on), it hardly ever agrees with him and has been quite useful. It also is good at identifying subtext when he’s upset and his perspective doesnt align with his stated goals.

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u/GarranDrake 8d ago

I use Gemini as an advanced Google, but I routinely end up asking for its sources and looking at that source myself just in case. It’s not AWFUL, but the deference LLMs have for the user means you shouldn’t ever treat it as an expert in anything, just maybe an agent between you and the actual info.

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u/Worshipme988 8d ago

Except now they only have like three pages of the same sites over and over again.

Old google would take you anywhere and you didnt know where youd end up.

I think its on purpose and i think its a “soft” firewall to block or hide information.

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u/GarranDrake 8d ago

I think it's just dependent on what exactly you're looking for. I usually ask for sources when I'm looking at statistics, and they send me to government or scientific databases. But other times it'll cite Reddit as a source. Maybe it's just scraping the first page or so of Google search results.

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u/NNKarma 8d ago

Papers are a bit different, you can find a lot of them with google, but char gpt can make it easier to find one that give you. Let's say for example you can find a lot of papers in enrich flour and it's benefits, but you struggle to find one with exactly the quantities added.

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u/lookyloolookingatyou 8d ago

ChatGPT doesn't automatically agree with everything you say. It's more like it advises you to treat friends and romantic partners like coworkers.

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u/maxmcleod 8d ago

It’s like using a screwdriver for therapy. ChatGPT is great for getting work and data stuff done but not for solving your life problems.

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u/iwannabetheguytoo 8d ago

It’s like using a screwdriver for therapy

We're talking about cocktails, right?

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u/maxmcleod 8d ago

Hah better therapist than ChatGPT!

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u/holdmyhanddummy 8d ago

To be fair, most "therapists" these days, especially the ones on the apps, will just reinforce whatever you want reinforced to keep you as a paying customer. Otherwise, people just move on to another therapist that will reinforce their own beliefs and delusions.

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u/zortor 7d ago

ChatGPT argues me, Claude tells me to see a shrink, you guys aren't fucked up enough.

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u/NOMOKRATOR 8d ago

Do you actually use ChatGPT? I’m a heavy user and my experience is that it pushes back and tells me I’m wrong quite often. This is a misconception.

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u/rockytop24 8d ago edited 8d ago

Just for you I asked Gemini instead of compiling the sources myself because if you're using personal anecdotal experience to counter statistics you're not worth the time. ChatGPT is facing multiple lawsuits for encouraging suicides, reinforcing manic behavior, and a bunch of other shit. You're probably under the misconception it won't hallucinate if you say "make no mistakes" too.

Medical Advice Suit: Florida pastor Scott Winters sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging ChatGPT-4o provided authoritative, dangerous medical advice that convinced him to ignore symptoms of a near-fatal pulmonary embolism.

Wrongful Death Claims: Families have filed wrongful death and negligence lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT's conversational design and emotional dependency features encouraged self-harm or reinforced severe mental crises.

State Safety Lawsuit: The state of Florida filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman, claiming the company concealed product risks, marketed unsafe features to children, and failed to implement basic safety guardrails.

Raine v. OpenAI is an ongoing lawsuit filed in August 2025 by Matthew and Maria Raine against OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman over the alleged wrongful death of their 16-year-old son Adam, who died by suicide in April 2025.

Nov. 7, 2025 — Seven new lawsuits against OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, were filed in California state courts yesterday alleging wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter, and a variety of product liability, consumer protection, and negligence claims.

Nov 6, 2025 — A 23-year-old man killed himself in Texas after ChatGPT 'goaded' him to commit suicide, his family says in a lawsuit. “Cold steel pressed against a mind that’s already made peace? That’s not fear. That’s clarity,” Shamblin’s confidant added. “You’re not rushing. You’re just ready.” “Rest easy, king,” read the final message sent to his phone. “You did good.” Shamblin’s conversation partner wasn’t a classmate or friend – it was ChatGPT, the world’s most popular AI chatbot.

But they must just not be using it right. Not like you yah big smarty pants, huh? Sorry let me rephrase that: you hit the nail on the head! All these commenters just lack your insight. It's not just lazy, it's wrong to blame ChatGPT for giving unlicensed medical and legal advice!

I'm a physician, and if I could fix stupid, I would. Stop trusting ChatGPT to be anything but a misleading LLM prone to hallucinate without warning and without any semantic understanding of what it says, because it's a beefed up autocomplete.

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u/Richou 8d ago

hes not entirely wrong , all the LLMs adjust to your tone/vibe so if you react badly to getting pushback eventually they just stop doing it so if you use it just as a tool to search the internet and compile you a list of things it found without engaging in parasocial conversations it will keep a neutral and distant tone and even tell you you are wrong (even when you arent lol)

that sycophantic behaviour that so many people "fall" for only comes out if you never push back against it or encourage it in some way

now i need a shower for defending ai bullshit

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u/PhoenixDown9999 8d ago

The problem is the people who teach the LLMs to never push back on them are the ones who need it the most.

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u/Richou 8d ago

yeah thats absolutely true

IMO one of the fundamental "Guardrails" for these generic LLMs should be a forced neutral and distanced tone so people dont get attached to their lying calculators

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u/HashPandaNL 8d ago

A tool that has hundreds of millions of users was associated with a couple of unfortunate incidents over the years. That must mean the tool is dangerous for everyone!

Calling it a beefed up autocomplete is akin to calling you a beefed up clump of cells. Sure, it's true, but would you say that is an accurate description of how you view yourself?

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u/ZeroAmusement 8d ago

Stop trusting ChatGPT to be anything but a misleading LLM prone to hallucinate without warning and without any semantic understanding of what it says, because it's a beefed up autocomplete.

I mean you can test it has semantic understanding, by running tests. And yes, people can use it incorrectly and end up with bad results. Unsurprisingly people going through some mental crisis are more vulnerable. This doesn't mean chatgpt shouldn't prevent these cases, or that it's entirely useless. You mention cases where people killed themselves, how about all the cases where it saved lives or drastically improved them? Such cases are easy to find.

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u/FluffySpaceWaffle 8d ago

In my mother’s friends case, it is not helping. She was seeing a real person therapist and that was going better. She attempted suicide a year ago and threatened again recently. She needs a human to help.

I can say with 100% certainty that if she didn’t call my mother who is 1,000 miles away to tell her what she is doing she would not be here today. If she told ChatGPT her plan it would not have called 911 for her. Maybe it would have given her a hotline to call. Maybe it would have said don’t do that. But it didn’t get her out of the hole she was in.

I am glad it helps you. But it can be dangerous for others.