Haunted AI: ‘Possessed’ ChatGPT goes rogue, for hours churns out only nonsensical answers

OpenAI recently tackled an unexpected glitch in its ChatGPT model, which resulted in hours of nonsensical responses to user queries. The company attributed the issue to a software tweak that inadvertently introduced a bug affecting the model’s language processing capabilities.

Upon identifying the cause of the incident, OpenAI promptly rolled out a fix and confirmed that normal operations were restored. Developers utilizing the tool reported encountering “peculiar” responses during the glitch, including the generation of nonexistent words, incomplete sentences, and overall incomprehensible output.

In a discussion forum on the OpenAI website, one developer lamented receiving “meaningless words followed by a bizarre list,” expressing concern over potential compromises to the system’s integrity.

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It took over 16 hours for OpenAI to update its status page with a message indicating that ChatGPT was functioning normally again. The San Francisco-based technology firm responded to inquiries by directing attention to the ChatGPT status page.

This incident occurred amidst significant developments for OpenAI, which recently finalized a deal with investors reportedly valuing the start-up at $80 billion or more. The reported deal, although unconfirmed by OpenAI, suggests a substantial increase in the company’s valuation within a short span of under 10 months.

OpenAI gained prominence in the field of artificial intelligence with the launch of its ChatGPT program in late 2022. The program’s immediate success generated widespread interest in its capabilities, which include generating text, sounds, and images on demand.

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In addition to ChatGPT, OpenAI’s portfolio includes DALL-E, an image-generating tool, and the recently unveiled Sora, capable of producing realistic videos based on user prompts.

The company’s partnership with Microsoft, which has invested approximately $13 billion in OpenAI, underscores the growing importance of AI technology in various sectors. Microsoft integrates OpenAI’s technology into its search engine Bing and other services, reflecting the intense competition with rivals like Google in deploying AI-infused tools.

The substantial investments by tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon in specialized AI start-ups have drawn regulatory scrutiny. In January, the US Federal Trade Commission initiated an investigation into these investments, highlighting the competitive dynamics within the AI industry.

(With inputs from agencies)