OpenAI has officially launched a group chat feature in ChatGPT, currently piloted in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan. This new feature allows multiple users—friends, family, or colleagues—to interact simultaneously with each other and with ChatGPT in a shared conversation space, usable on both mobile and web platforms across ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. Group chats are designed for collaboration, enabling activities like planning events, working on projects, or brainstorming ideas together, with ChatGPT providing AI support through features such as internet search, file and image uploads, image generation, and voice dictation. The conversations are powered by GPT-5.1 Auto, which selects the most appropriate AI model per user subscription during chats.
Privacy and safety are central to the design: users’ personal ChatGPT memories are not shared or created in group chats, and there are controls for removing participants (only the group creator cannot be removed) and content safeguards for users under 18. Each participant creates a profile with a name, username, and photo for identification. Group chats appear in a dedicated sidebar for easy management, and any new participant joining a chat results in a copy of the conversation being created for them, so prior chat history does not carry over.
Socially, ChatGPT in group chats behaves differently by analyzing the flow of conversation to decide when to respond or remain silent, triggered also by mentioning or tagging its name. It can react to messages with emojis and even use profile photos to create personalized images upon request. Custom instructions and tone can be set per group, allowing tailored AI personalities for different groups without affecting personal chats.
This pilot represents OpenAI’s cautious approach to gradually introduce shared AI experiences before expanding the feature to more regions worldwide.
