OpenAI is testing group chats in ChatGPT in select countries: What it is and how it will work

OpenAI

OpenAI is trying something new with ChatGPT: group chats. This pilot feature is currently rolling out in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan, and it’s designed to let people collaborate with friends, family, or coworkers—all while having ChatGPT in the conversation. Think of it as a shared space where everyone can pitch in, plan, and brainstorm together, with ChatGPT acting as an assistant, guide, or even a referee.

So, how does it actually work? You can start a group chat by tapping the people icon in any new or existing chat. If you’re adding someone to an existing chat, ChatGPT will create a copy of the conversation so your original chat stays private. You can invite others by sharing a link, allowing up to twenty participants. When you join or create a group chat for the first time, you set up a small profile with your name, username, and photo so everyone knows who’s part of the conversation. Group chats are easy to find too—they have their own section in the sidebar.

Once the group is set up, ChatGPT can jump in to help with a variety of tasks. Planning a weekend trip? It can compare destinations, suggest itineraries, and even make a packing list. Decorating a home or redesigning a garden? ChatGPT can help collect ideas, weigh preferences, and offer suggestions. At work or school, it’s handy for drafting outlines, summarizing research, or organizing shared notes.

ChatGPT in group chats has been taught new social behaviors. It decides when to respond or stay quiet depending on the flow of conversation, and you can always mention it directly to get a response. It can even react with emojis or reference profile photos to create fun, personalized images for the group. Plus, you can manage the group settings—name the group, add or remove participants, mute notifications, or set custom instructions for how ChatGPT should respond.

Privacy is a key focus. Group chats are completely separate from your private conversations. ChatGPT does not use your personal memory in these chats and does not create new memories from them. Everyone in a group chat can see who’s participating, and you can leave or remove members as needed. There are also safety measures for younger users—content is filtered for sensitive material if someone under 18 is in the chat, and parents can turn the feature off entirely.

This pilot is just the start. OpenAI wants to see how people use ChatGPT together and improve the experience based on early feedback. The goal is to make ChatGPT a helpful partner in shared conversations, helping people spark ideas, make decisions, and collaborate creatively with the people who matter most.