OpenAI is rolling out a significant new feature to its flagship AI chatbot, ChatGPT: ChatGPT group chats. This development marks a pivotal shift from a purely solo AI experience to a collaborative one, where users can leverage the power of artificial intelligence alongside friends, family, or colleagues in a single, shared conversation space. This feature transforms ChatGPT into a versatile collaborative hub, moving beyond simple one-on-one dialogue.
The initial pilot program for ChatGPT group chats has begun in select regions, including Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan, for users on various subscription tiers (Free, Go, Plus, and Pro). This phased rollout is strategic, allowing OpenAI to gather essential feedback and refine the user experience before a broader global launch.
Key Features and Functionality of Group Chats
The new ChatGPT group chats are designed for seamless integration and collaboration. Users can initiate a group conversation simply by tapping the new “People” icon located in the upper-right corner of any chat window.
- Easy Invitations and Participation: A group can host up to 20 participants, who can be invited effortlessly through a shareable link. The open nature of the invite link means any member can pass it along to others for joining. New users are prompted to create a brief profile, including their name and photo, ensuring clear identification within the ChatGPT group chats.
- Dedicated Space: To maintain organization, all group discussions are housed in a distinct, clearly labeled section within the sidebar, keeping them separate from a user’s private conversations with ChatGPT.
- AI Integration and Assistance: The core of the feature is the ability to collaborate directly with the AI. ChatGPT becomes an active participant, ready to assist with planning, research, summarization, and decision-making right within the group discussion.
- Powered by GPT-5.1 Auto: The experience within ChatGPT group chats is powered by the new GPT-5.1 Auto model, which automatically selects the best available GPT-5.1 variant based on the user’s subscription, ensuring optimal performance for all members.
Enhancing Collaboration and Productivity
The potential applications of ChatGPT group chats are vast, promising to enhance productivity and streamline collaborative efforts across various domains.
For professional teams, it can serve as a powerful tool for drafting documents, brainstorming ideas, and summarizing lengthy discussions or shared articles. Imagine a team working on a new project outline; the AI in the ChatGPT group chats can instantly organize everyone’s input and provide structural suggestions.
In a personal context, the feature simplifies group planning. Whether it’s coordinating a weekend trip with friends, organizing a large family dinner, or collaborating on a home design project, ChatGPT group chats offer real-time, AI-powered assistance. The ability to upload images and files also ensures that all necessary context, like travel photos or design sketches, is shared directly within the conversation.
Privacy and Future Outlook for ChatGPT Group Chats
OpenAI has emphasized privacy in the design of this feature. Importantly, a user’s personal ChatGPT memory is never shared or utilized within the ChatGPT group chats. Furthermore, the group conversations themselves do not contribute to the creation of new personal memories for the individual users, ensuring sensitive personal data remains private. The AI is also designed to be context-aware, only intervening when relevant or when explicitly tagged, such as by mentioning “@ChatGPT.”
The introduction of ChatGPT group chats is a strategic move that positions the AI platform as a direct competitor to traditional messaging and collaboration services. This pilot is merely the first step, and the company plans to learn from the initial user feedback to guide the feature’s evolution and eventual expansion. The ultimate goal is to make ChatGPT group a deeply embedded, indispensable tool for day-to-day shared experiences, further solidifying ChatGPT’s role as a general-purpose AI assistant.
