The popular artificial intelligence chatbot, ChatGPT, is currently experiencing widespread issues, leaving millions of users unable to access the service across the globe, including the UAE.

As of Tuesday afternoon, attempts to use the platform were met with frustrating error messages such as “Error in message stream” or “too many concurrent requests.”

The global outage has caused significant frustration among students, professionals, and businesses who rely on the popular service for their daily needs.

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has acknowledged the problem. On its official status page, OpenAI stated that the platform is “currently experiencing issues” and that “some users are experiencing elevated error rates and latency across the listed services.” The company confirmed they are actively investigating the disruption.

The outage isn’t limited to just the main ChatGPT chatbot. OpenAI’s video generation model, Sora, and its various APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are also affected. Reports indicate the problem is widespread, impacting users on different devices and operating systems.

This disruption comes as OpenAI has reported significant growth in its user base. The company announced earlier that its weekly active users jumped by 33 per cent to 400 million in February, up from December last year. Additionally, its enterprise customer base for ChatGPT has recently doubled, reaching 3 million paying business users, as more companies integrate AI tools for productivity.

Users are advised to check OpenAI’s official status page for the latest updates on when services are expected to be fully restored.

The UAE took center stage at BEYOND Expo 2025 in Macao as the Zayed Sustainability Prize Forum emerged as one of the event’s most compelling highlights. Co-hosted by the Zayed Sustainability Prize—the UAE’s flagship sustainability initiative—and the Sino-International Entrepreneurs Federation (SIEF), the Forum underscored the country’s growing global influence in driving climate-forward cooperation and innovation.

Held from May 21 to May 24, the Forum was themed “Accelerating Impact: China’s Innovation for Global Sustainability” and brought together a powerful coalition of global leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Through keynotes, TEDx-style talks, fireside chats, and panel discussions, participants explored how capital, technology, and community leadership can scale real-world solutions to global challenges.

Echoing the Zayed Sustainability Prize’s social media message, the sessions emphasized collaboration, youth-led climate action, and inclusive growth—core principles that define the UAE’s sustainability vision. From advancing solutions in health, food, energy, water, education, and climate action, the Forum demonstrated how strategic investment and global partnerships—hallmarks of the UAE’s approach—can accelerate meaningful change.

Speaking at the event, H.E. Sheikh Saoud Al Mualla, Consul-General of the UAE in Hong Kong, underscored the depth and diversity of UAE-China cooperation. “UAE-China collaboration extends well beyond trade, encompassing key sectors such as energy, logistics, financial services, agriculture, tourism, and even space exploration. Notably, both nations share a strong and growing partnership in sustainable development. From pioneering solar power projects to innovative wind energy demonstrations, Chinese support has played a vital role in the UAE’s impressive journey toward a clean energy future,” he stated.

Dr. Gang Lu, Co-Founder of BEYOND Expo said, “The partnership with the Zayed Foundation Association embodies the spirit of collaboration and humanitarian impact that BEYOND Expo strives to foster. Together, we are not only driving innovation but also empowering communities to create a sustainable future. This alliance highlights how technology and philanthropy can unite to address global challenges and inspire positive change.”

Since its inception in 2008, the Zayed Sustainability Prize has honored 128 winners, positively impacting over 400 million lives across six categories. Its impactful presence at BEYOND Expo reinforced the vital link between technology and sustainability, while strengthening UAE-China collaboration at a critical global moment.

BEYOND Expo 2025: A Platform for Global Change :

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Celebrating its fifth anniversary, BEYOND Expo 2025 drew over 25,000 visitors, 800+ pioneering companies, and 800+ investors to The Venetian® Macao’s Cotai Expo, all aligned under the banner: “Empowering Asia, Bridging the World.”

A headline Opening Ceremony on May 21 featured Asia’s leading tech innovators including Dr. Jian Wang, President, Zhejiang Lab & Founder, Alibaba Cloud, Carl Pei, CEO & Co-founder, Nothing, Dr. Burt Guo, CEO, Aerofugia, Zhaopeng Chen, CEO, Agile Robots SE Jingkang Liu, Founder, Insta360.

The Expo also launched the BEYOND Founders Club, a dynamic new network of 30 elite entrepreneurs dedicated to sustainable innovation in Asia.

Individuals promoting content or advertising on social media in the UAE will soon need to follow stricter rules under a new comprehensive regulatory system introduced by the UAE Media Council.

The new framework, announced this week, is designed to build public trust, protect viewers, especially children and adolescents, and raise the quality of online media content. It also outlines heavy penalties for violations, with fines reaching up to Dh1 million for first-time offences and up to Dh2 million for repeat breaches. In serious cases, violators could face temporary or permanent shutdowns, along with permit revocations.

“The new system transforms the way the media sector is regulated and developed,” said Mohammed Saeed Al Shehhi, Secretary-General of the UAE Media Council. 

“It combines updated legislation, comprehensive services, and forward-looking policies to support sustainable growth.”

Fee exemptions and local support

To encourage creativity and responsible content creation, the council announced a three-year exemption from permit fees for individuals and influencers who promote content online. This is part of a broader move to support Emirati talent and creative industries, with similar exemptions offered to local media services, producers, and writers whose work promotes national identity.

The initiative builds on last year’s Media Regulation Law and its Executive Regulation, and aims to stimulate growth in the sector while maintaining strong ethical and professional standards.

New age-rating and licensing systems

A key feature of the new regulations includes a media age-rating system, ensuring that content shared online is appropriate for different age groups, especially young viewers.

The council is also developing a new licensing policy for digital news platforms, with a focus on enhancing credibility and journalistic standards. The goal is to create a balanced legal environment that supports responsible reporting while safeguarding freedom of expression.

The updated system also outlines resolutions related to media service fees, violations, and administrative penalties, offering clearer guidelines for all stakeholders in the media landscape.