OpenAI on Thursday introduced group chat functionality for ChatGPT. The feature is currently being tested in select regions including Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan, and will allow users to collaborate directly within the app.
Group chat is available to Free, Plus, and Team users on both mobile and web platforms. OpenAI says the pilot is designed to explore how people use group conversations on ChatGPT.
The announcement follows previous reports that OpenAI was testing a direct message-style tool.
ChatGPT’s creators explain that this pilot is just a “small first step” toward creating a more “shared experience” within the app. Early users will be asked to provide feedback, which the company says will help shape how it ultimately expands the feature to more regions and services.
According to OpenAI, private chats and personal ChatGPT memory remain completely private. Group chats are invite-only, and members can leave at any time. Most participants can remove other participants, but the group creator can only leave voluntarily. For users under 18, content is filtered and additional safety measures and parental controls are implemented.
Starting a group chat is easy. Just tap the people icon and add participants directly or by sharing a link. Groups can contain from 1 to 20 people. Adding someone to an existing chat creates a new group and leaves the original conversation unchanged. Each group has a short profile, and all chats are organized in a labeled sidebar for easy access.
Group chats work just like regular ChatGPT conversations, but with multiple people participating. GPT-5.1 Auto processes responses and includes features such as search, image generation, file upload, and dictation. For group chats, ChatGPT usage limits (limiting the number of AI responses a user can receive per hour) are only counted if ChatGPT responds. Messages between human participants do not count towards these limits.
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ChatGPT is learning new social skills for group chats, knowing when to join in and when to be quiet. You can tag “ChatGPT” and have it respond. You can also react with emojis and use your profile photo to create personalized images for your conversations.
The group chat feature represents the latest step in OpenAI’s gradual transformation from a simple AI assistant to something resembling a social platform. In late September, the company launched Sora 2, a standalone social media app with a TikTok-style feed for sharing AI-generated videos, algorithmic recommendations based on user activity and location, parental controls, and direct messaging features.
