OpenAI is testing a new way for people to use ChatGPT together. On Thursday, the company introduced group chats for ChatGPT in select regions, including Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The pilot brings shared conversations directly into the app, while keeping the familiar ChatGPT experience at the center. OpenAI describes the rollout as a small first step toward making ChatGPT a more shared experience.
What the ChatGPT group chat pilot includes
The new group chat feature is available to Free, Plus, and Team users on both mobile and web platforms. OpenAI says the pilot is meant to explore how people use group conversations in ChatGPT.
That framing matters. This is not a full global launch. It is a limited test in specific regions, with early users invited to give feedback before the feature expands to more regions and offerings.
The feature follows earlier reports that OpenAI had been testing a direct-message-style tool. With group chats, the company is moving beyond one-person sessions and into conversations where multiple people can participate alongside ChatGPT.
How users start and manage a group
Starting a group chat is designed to be straightforward. Users tap the people icon and add participants directly or share a link.
Groups can include one to 20 people. If someone is added to an existing chat, ChatGPT creates a new group instead of changing the original conversation. That keeps the earlier chat intact while starting a separate shared space.
Each group has a short profile, and all group conversations are organized in a labeled sidebar. The goal is simple access: users can move between regular chats and group chats without losing track of where a conversation lives.
Group chats are invitation-only. Members can leave whenever they choose. Most participants can remove others from a group, but the creator of the group can only leave voluntarily.
Privacy and safeguards remain central
OpenAI says private chats and personal ChatGPT memory stay completely private. That separation is one of the most important details in the pilot because group conversations create new questions about what is shared and what remains personal.
In practical terms, the source describes group chats as separate from private ChatGPT activity. The group may include multiple human participants and ChatGPT, but a user’s private chats and personal memory are not opened up to the group.
There are also added protections for younger users. For users under 18, content is filtered, with extra safeguards and parental controls in place.
The pilot therefore combines collaboration with boundaries. It lets people bring ChatGPT into shared conversations, but OpenAI is presenting the feature with controls around access, leaving groups, removing members, and youth safety.
What ChatGPT can do inside a group conversation
OpenAI says group chats work like regular ChatGPT conversations, except multiple people can join in. The AI can respond inside the shared chat, and human participants can also message one another.
GPT‑5.1 Auto handles responses in group chats. The feature comes with search, image generation, file uploads, and dictation.
Usage limits work differently from a simple message count across the whole group. ChatGPT usage limits, which restrict how many AI responses users can receive per hour, only count when ChatGPT responds. Messages sent between human participants do not count toward those limits.
OpenAI has also adjusted ChatGPT’s behavior for a more social setting. The company says ChatGPT has learned when to jump in and when to stay quiet. Users can tag “ChatGPT” when they want it to respond.
The feature also gives ChatGPT some lighter social behavior. It can react with emojis and use profile photos to create personalized images for the conversation.
Why this points to a broader shift
The group chat pilot is part of a larger change in how OpenAI is shaping its products. ChatGPT began as a simple AI assistant, but this feature makes the app feel more like a shared workspace or social layer.
The source also connects the pilot to OpenAI’s recent move with Sora 2. In late September, the company launched Sora 2, a stand-alone social media app with a TikTok-style feed for sharing AI-generated videos.
Sora 2 includes algorithmic recommendations based on user activity and location, parental controls, and direct messaging capabilities. Group chats in ChatGPT are a different product feature, but they point in a similar direction: AI tools are becoming places where people interact with each other, not only with the model.
For users in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan, the pilot will show how shared AI conversations work in practice. For OpenAI, feedback from these early group chats will help shape what comes next.