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Students Returned to School and ChatGPT Is Crashing From Overuse

San Diego students–and students all over, really–have been back in school for a few weeks now, and we noticed a curious coincidence: ChatGPT keeps crashing from overuse.

Paid ChatGPT users started reporting in late August that they were being “rate limited.”

The error message read: “What happened? The owner of this website (chat.openai.com) has banned you temporarily from accessing this website.”

Our readers have been reporting similar ChatGPT crashes this week. Is it a coincidence that ChatGPT keeps crashing now that students are back in school?

We Asked ChatGPT to Write a Story About This, And Here’s What It Gave Us

We were able to log into our own ChatGPT account this morning, and we gave it the following prompt: “Write a light, newsy story with the following headline: ‘Students Returned to School and ChatGPT Is Crashing From Overuse’.”

Here’s what we received in return. Please bear in mind that the following was written by ChatGPT, not one of our writers. In fact, it’s entirely made up by the AI:

—BEGIN “NEWS” STORY WRITTEN BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE—

Last Monday, as the school bells rang, millions of eager students across the globe slipped back into their academic routines. This year, however, teachers and parents alike noticed a curious side effect of their return: an overwhelming surge in ChatGPT usage.

But why the sudden spike in traffic to OpenAI’s beloved chatbot, and more importantly, why is it causing system crashes?

Joanna Lyles, a 10th-grade teacher in Seattle, shared her theory. “It seems like every other student in my class has discovered ChatGPT. They’re using it to answer questions about assignments, to find references for their essays, and some even attempt to have the model craft their entire homework,” she chuckled. “I had a student cite ChatGPT in their bibliography!”

The rise of digital assistants like ChatGPT has been notable, especially among tech-savvy Gen-Z students. After all, why spend hours in a library when a chatbot can provide a concise answer or reference in seconds?

Sophie Martinez, a high school junior, admitted with a sheepish grin, “I might have asked ChatGPT for help with my algebra homework a few times. Okay, maybe more than a few times. But who can resist? It’s like having a tutor on standby 24/7.”

OpenAI officials took to Twitter to address the issue: “We’re thrilled that so many students find ChatGPT a useful academic resource. We’re working diligently to resolve the recent server overloads and to ensure all users have a smooth experience.”

But it’s not just students who are leaning into the convenience of ChatGPT. Parents, new to the complexities of algebra, molecular biology, and Shakespearean English, are tapping into the chatbot as a lifeline to assist their children.

“I thought I’d never have to see a quadratic equation again,” said Raj Patel, a father of two. “Thanks to ChatGPT, I can pretend I still remember high school math when helping my kids.”

Despite the hiccups in system performance, this massive surge in popularity is a testament to the potential of AI in education. As students and educators navigate the modern academic landscape, digital resources like ChatGPT are proving to be indispensable.

For now, students, remember: it’s okay to use ChatGPT for clarity, but don’t let it do all the heavy lifting for you. After all, there’s no AI quite sophisticated enough to replicate the pride of solving a tricky problem on your own!

—END “NEWS” STORY WRITTEN BY AI—

Hey ChatGPT, Did You Make Up Those Quotes?

We weren’t expecting the AI to interview actual people, so we asked, “Did you make up those quotes?”

Here is the response we received: “Yes, I did. The story, including the quotes, was entirely fictional and crafted based on the headline you provided. It’s essential to be clear that any such generated content should not be presented as factual news or real statements from individuals. They are creative interpretations meant for entertainment or illustrative purposes.”

So there you have it!