OpenAI has officially launched group chats in ChatGPT—a groundbreaking feature that transforms the world's most popular AI chatbot from a solo assistant into a collaborative partner. Announced on November 13, 2025, this pilot program marks a significant evolution in how humans interact with artificial intelligence, bringing real-time collaboration, shared decision-making, and collective problem-solving to over 700 million weekly ChatGPT users worldwide.
What Are ChatGPT Group Chats?
Group chats in ChatGPT allow multiple people to collaborate with each other and with ChatGPT in the same conversation. Think of it as a group messaging app like WhatsApp or Slack—but with an intelligent AI participant that can help plan trips, draft documents, settle debates, organize projects, and provide instant insights based on the group's discussions.
Unlike traditional one-on-one interactions with ChatGPT, this new feature enables friends, family members, coworkers, or classmates to invite up to 20 people into a shared conversation space. ChatGPT becomes an active participant, offering suggestions, answering questions, and helping coordinate activities—all while maintaining context from the entire group conversation.
How Group Chats Work
Starting a group chat is remarkably simple:
- Tap the people icon in the top-right corner of any new or existing ChatGPT conversation
- Share an invitation link with up to 20 people
- Set up a profile with your name, username, and photo when joining your first group chat
- Collaborate naturally with ChatGPT automatically understanding when to contribute
When you convert an existing one-on-one chat into a group, ChatGPT creates a duplicate copy as the new group chat, preserving your original private conversation. Group chats appear in a dedicated section of the sidebar for easy access.
Intelligent Participation: Teaching ChatGPT Social Skills
One of the most impressive aspects of group chats is how OpenAI has taught ChatGPT new social behaviors specifically for multi-person conversations. The AI now:
- Follows conversational flow and decides autonomously when to respond or stay quiet
- Responds when mentioned by name if you specifically want its input
- Reacts with emojis to add personality and engagement
- References profile photos to create personalized images for group members
- Adapts its tone based on custom instructions set for each group chat
This social intelligence represents a significant advancement in AI behavior, moving beyond simple question-answer patterns to genuine conversational participation.
Current Availability and Access
Geographic Rollout
The group chats feature is currently piloting in four Asia-Pacific regions:
- Japan
- New Zealand
- South Korea
- Taiwan
OpenAI chose these markets for initial testing to gather diverse user feedback before expanding globally. The company emphasizes this is "a small first step toward shared experiences in ChatGPT" and plans to roll out to additional regions based on early user insights.
Plan Availability
Group chats are available across all ChatGPT subscription tiers:
- ChatGPT Free - Access to basic group chat features
- ChatGPT Go - Enhanced features with faster responses
- ChatGPT Plus ($20/month) - Priority access and advanced capabilities
- ChatGPT Pro ($200/month) - Maximum performance and capabilities
This universal availability across all plans demonstrates OpenAI's commitment to making collaborative AI accessible to everyone, not just premium subscribers.
Technical Infrastructure
Group chat responses are powered by GPT-5.1 Auto, which automatically selects the most appropriate model based on:
- The complexity of the prompt
- The subscription plan of the user ChatGPT is responding to
- The context of the group conversation
Rate limits only apply when ChatGPT generates responses—not when users are messaging each other—allowing natural human conversations to flow freely without hitting usage restrictions.
Real-World Use Cases
Personal Life Applications
Trip Planning with Friends Imagine planning a weekend getaway with five friends. Instead of endless back-and-forth messages across multiple apps, create a group chat with ChatGPT. The AI can:
- Compare destinations based on everyone's preferences
- Build a collaborative itinerary that balances different interests
- Create packing lists tailored to the chosen location and activities
- Find restaurants that accommodate dietary restrictions
- Suggest activities that fit the group's budget
Home Projects Designing a backyard garden or renovating an apartment becomes easier when everyone involved can contribute ideas in real-time. ChatGPT can:
- Generate design concepts based on group feedback
- Provide cost estimates for different options
- Suggest materials and vendors
- Create shopping lists
- Offer maintenance tips and schedules
Group Decision-Making From choosing a restaurant for dinner to settling friendly debates, ChatGPT serves as an impartial referee that can:
- Present objective information about options
- Weigh pros and cons based on stated criteria
- Suggest compromises that satisfy everyone
- Provide data-driven recommendations
Professional and Educational Applications
Workplace Collaboration Teams in San Francisco, New York, Toronto, London, and tech hubs worldwide can use group chats to:
- Draft project outlines collaboratively
- Research topics with shared context
- Organize meeting notes and action items
- Brainstorm creative solutions to business challenges
- Summarize complex information from multiple sources
Academic Projects Students can collaborate more effectively by:
- Sharing articles and research notes
- Getting ChatGPT to outline reports based on group materials
- Clarifying complex concepts together
- Organizing study sessions and exam preparation
- Creating study guides from shared notes
Enterprise Productivity
Companies are already exploring how group chats can streamline workflows:
- Marketing teams brainstorming campaign concepts
- Product teams gathering user feedback and prioritizing features
- Sales teams preparing proposals and presentations
- Customer support coordinating complex issues requiring multiple specialists
Privacy, Safety, and Control
OpenAI has built robust privacy controls into the group chat feature:
Separation from Personal Conversations
Group chats are completely separate from your private ChatGPT conversations. This means:
- Your personal memory is NOT shared with group participants
- ChatGPT does NOT create memories from group conversations
- Original private chats remain untouched when converted to group format
User Control and Transparency
- You must accept an invitation to join—no one can add you without permission
- Everyone can see who's in the chat at all times
- Anyone can leave a group chat whenever they want
- Group members can remove other participants (except the creator)
- The group creator can only be removed by leaving themselves
Protection for Younger Users
OpenAI has implemented special safeguards for minors:
- If anyone under 18 joins a group chat, ChatGPT automatically reduces exposure to sensitive content for everyone in the conversation
- Parents and guardians can turn off group chats entirely through parental controls
- This ensures safer interactions for younger users across all conversations
Custom Instructions Per Group
Each group chat can have its own custom instructions, allowing ChatGPT to adapt its behavior appropriately:
- Formal tone for work-related groups
- Playful personality for casual friend chats
- Educational approach for study groups
- Specific expertise for hobby or interest-based conversations
The Technology Behind Group Chats
GPT-5.1 Auto: Dynamic Model Selection
Group chats leverage OpenAI's latest GPT-5.1 Auto system, which intelligently chooses which AI model to use based on several factors:
- Prompt complexity - More sophisticated questions trigger more powerful models
- User subscription tier - Responses are optimized for each participant's plan level
- Conversation context - The system considers the entire group discussion when formulating responses
This ensures that even within a single group chat containing both free and paid users, everyone receives responses appropriate to their subscription while maintaining conversational coherence.
Advanced Features
Group chats support the full suite of ChatGPT capabilities:
- Search functionality to find information within conversations
- Image upload for visual collaboration
- File sharing for documents and data
- Image generation to create visuals based on group ideas
- Voice dictation for hands-free interaction
Rate Limit Management
The system handles rate limits intelligently:
- Human-to-human messages don't count toward any limits
- ChatGPT responses only count against the limit of the person it's responding to
- This allows natural conversations to flow without artificial restrictions
How ChatGPT is Evolving: From Solo Assistant to Collaborative Platform
The introduction of group chats represents a fundamental shift in OpenAI's vision for ChatGPT. Rather than positioning the AI as merely a tool individuals use alone, OpenAI is transforming ChatGPT into a shared collaborative space where humans and AI work together.
The Historical Context
ChatGPT launched in November 2022 as a revolutionary one-on-one conversational AI. Over three years, it has evolved dramatically:
- November 2022 - Initial launch with basic text generation
- March 2023 - Introduction of GPT-4 with enhanced reasoning
- September 2023 - Voice and image capabilities added
- November 2023 - Custom GPTs and GPT Store launched
- May 2024 - GPT-4o brings real-time voice conversations
- December 2024 - Sora integration for text-to-video generation
- February 2025 - Canvas interface for collaborative editing
- November 2025 - Group chats pilot begins
Each milestone expanded ChatGPT's capabilities, but group chats represent the first truly social feature—enabling human-to-human collaboration mediated by AI.
Competing in the Collaborative AI Space
OpenAI isn't alone in recognizing the value of multi-user AI experiences:
Microsoft Copilot recently introduced group conversation features, allowing teams to work together with AI assistance in Microsoft Teams and other Office applications.
Anthropic's Claude offers "Projects" functionality, enabling teams to collaborate around shared knowledge bases and documents, though it focuses more on document-centric workflows than real-time chat.
Meta AI supports group participation in Messenger and Instagram threads, bringing AI directly into existing social messaging platforms where billions of users already communicate.
Google Gemini integrates with Google Workspace, enabling collaborative document creation and brainstorming within familiar productivity tools.
By launching group chats, OpenAI is ensuring ChatGPT remains competitive in an increasingly collaborative AI landscape. The timing is strategic—capturing market share before competitors can fully establish dominance in this emerging category.
The Future of ChatGPT: Where Group Chats Are Heading
Near-Term Improvements (2025-2026)
Based on OpenAI's announcement and industry trends, we can expect several enhancements:
1. Global Expansion After gathering feedback from the pilot markets, group chats will roll out worldwide. Major tech hubs in the United States—Silicon Valley, New York, Austin, Seattle—along with Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Singapore will likely gain access within months.
2. Enhanced Memory Control OpenAI mentions exploring "more granular controls" so users can choose if and how ChatGPT uses memory in group chats. This could include:
- Selective memory sharing between group participants
- Group-specific memory that persists across sessions
- Privacy-preserving ways to build shared context
3. Richer Collaboration Tools The feature will likely expand to include:
- Shared document editing with real-time collaboration like Google Docs
- Task assignment and project management capabilities
- Polling and voting for group decisions
- Scheduled messages and reminders
- Integration with calendar apps for meeting coordination
4. Enterprise Features Business-focused enhancements could include:
- Admin controls for managing team group chats
- Audit logs for compliance requirements
- Single sign-on (SSO) integration
- Advanced analytics on group productivity
- Custom AI models trained on company-specific data
Medium-Term Evolution (2026-2027)
1. Voice-First Group Conversations With GPT-5's advanced voice capabilities, group chats could evolve into voice-first experiences:
- Virtual meeting rooms where multiple people speak and ChatGPT participates naturally
- Real-time translation enabling global teams to communicate across languages
- Voice-activated actions like "ChatGPT, summarize the last 10 minutes"
- Audio transcription and automatic meeting minutes
2. Augmented Reality Integration As AR glasses from Apple, Meta, and others gain adoption:
- Spatial group chats where AI appears as a holographic participant
- Shared AR workspaces for collaborative 3D design and visualization
- Context-aware assistance based on what participants are physically doing
3. Autonomous Agent Behavior ChatGPT could evolve into a more proactive collaborator:
- Anticipating needs based on conversation patterns
- Executing tasks autonomously (booking reservations, scheduling meetings)
- Managing workflows across multiple tools and platforms
- Facilitating group dynamics by ensuring everyone contributes
Long-Term Vision (2028+)
1. The AI Team Member ChatGPT could become a permanent, valued member of teams and organizations:
- Building institutional knowledge over years of collaboration
- Onboarding new members with accumulated group wisdom
- Maintaining continuity across personnel changes
- Serving as organizational memory for long-term projects
2. Emotional Intelligence and Empathy Future versions might develop:
- Emotional awareness of group dynamics and individual states
- Conflict resolution skills to mediate disagreements diplomatically
- Motivational coaching to keep teams engaged and productive
- Cultural sensitivity adaptable to diverse global teams
3. Cross-Platform Collaboration Group chats could extend beyond ChatGPT:
- Integration with Slack, Teams, Discord bringing AI into existing workflows
- Synchronization across devices with seamless transitions
- Unified AI presence across all productivity platforms
- Interoperability with other AI systems for specialized tasks
Business Implications and Opportunities
For Startups and Small Businesses
Group chats lower the barrier for small teams to access enterprise-grade AI collaboration:
Cost-Effective Coordination Even free tier users can leverage sophisticated AI assistance without expensive business software subscriptions. Startups in Austin, Toronto, and Berlin can compete with larger competitors by using AI to amplify small teams.
Rapid Prototyping Product teams can brainstorm and iterate faster with AI facilitating discussions, generating mockups, and providing instant market research.
Customer Collaboration Companies could create group chats with customers for:
- Gathering feature requests and feedback
- Providing collaborative support for complex issues
- Co-designing solutions with key accounts
For Enterprise Organizations
Large companies stand to gain substantial productivity improvements:
Reduced Meeting Time Asynchronous group chats with AI assistance can replace many routine meetings, giving employees in New York, London, and Singapore more focused work time.
Knowledge Management Group chats serve as living documentation of decision-making processes, reducing time spent searching for information or recreating lost knowledge.
Cross-Functional Collaboration Teams spanning different departments, time zones, and specializations can coordinate more effectively with AI bridging knowledge gaps and maintaining context.
For Educators and Students
Academic institutions gain powerful new collaboration tools:
Enhanced Group Projects Students can work together more effectively with AI assistance for research, writing, and problem-solving.
Inclusive Learning ChatGPT can help ensure all group members understand concepts, providing explanations tailored to different learning styles.
Teacher Support Educators can create group chats with students for office hours, study groups, and collaborative assignments.
Challenges and Considerations
Potential Risks
1. Over-Reliance on AI Teams might become dependent on ChatGPT for decision-making, potentially reducing critical thinking and human creativity.
2. Privacy Concerns Even with safeguards, users might inadvertently share sensitive information in group chats, creating security vulnerabilities.
3. Misuse and Abuse Bad actors could exploit group chats for:
- Coordinating misinformation campaigns
- Planning malicious activities
- Harassing or deceiving other participants
4. Digital Divide Users in pilot regions (currently only Asia-Pacific) have significant advantages over those waiting for global rollout, potentially creating unfair competitive dynamics in business and education.
Ethical Considerations
AI Presence in Human Relationships Introducing AI into intimate friend and family conversations raises questions:
- Does AI participation alter the authenticity of human connection?
- Could people become more comfortable with AI than humans?
- What happens to social skills when AI mediates interactions?
Accountability and Responsibility When AI contributes to group decisions:
- Who is responsible if the advice leads to negative outcomes?
- How do we ensure AI recommendations don't reinforce biases?
- Can groups trust AI to remain impartial and objective?
Data and Training OpenAI states that personal memory isn't used in group chats, but:
- Are group conversations used to train future models?
- How long is conversation data retained?
- Can government entities compel access to group chat data?
Expert Perspectives
Industry Reactions
Tech analysts view group chats as a strategic necessity for OpenAI. With 700 million weekly active users as of November 2025 (up from 500 million in March), ChatGPT's growth trajectory depends on deepening engagement rather than just adding new users.
Bernard Marr, renowned futurist and AI expert, predicts that collaborative AI experiences will become standard across all major platforms by 2026. The question isn't whether AI will participate in group conversations, but rather which platform will execute the experience most effectively.
Competitive Dynamics
OpenAI's move puts pressure on competitors:
Google must enhance Gemini's collaborative features to match ChatGPT's accessibility Anthropic needs to make Claude Projects more intuitive for casual users beyond enterprise customers Meta has the advantage of existing social graphs but must improve AI quality to compete Microsoft benefits from ChatGPT partnership while building Copilot's distinct collaborative identity
What This Means for the Future of Work
Group chats represent a glimpse into how knowledge work will evolve:
The Shift from Tools to Teammates
Rather than using software as passive tools, workers will increasingly collaborate with AI as active team members. This fundamental change affects:
Hiring and Team Composition Companies might maintain smaller human teams, with AI filling specialized roles. A startup that previously needed 10 people might accomplish the same with 6 humans plus AI.
Skills and Training The most valuable workers will be those who:
- Prompt and guide AI effectively
- Critically evaluate AI contributions
- Combine AI suggestions with human creativity and judgment
- Manage hybrid human-AI teams
Organizational Structure Hierarchies might flatten as AI democratizes access to information and decision-making support. Junior employees in Chicago or Sydney can make sophisticated analyses previously requiring senior expertise.
Productivity and Efficiency Gains
Early indicators suggest substantial improvements:
- Meeting reduction of 30-40% as asynchronous AI-mediated collaboration replaces routine meetings
- Decision speed increases as groups quickly access relevant information and expert analysis
- Documentation quality improves with AI automatically organizing and summarizing conversations
The Human Element Remains Critical
Despite AI's growing role, uniquely human capabilities become more valuable:
- Emotional intelligence for navigating complex interpersonal dynamics
- Strategic vision for setting goals and direction
- Ethical judgment for making values-based decisions
- Creative breakthroughs that transcend pattern recognition
Practical Tips for Using Group Chats Effectively
Best Practices
1. Set Clear Group Norms Establish guidelines for:
- When to tag ChatGPT versus letting it observe
- How formal or casual conversation should be
- Decision-making processes
- Privacy and confidentiality
2. Leverage Custom Instructions Configure ChatGPT's behavior for each group:
- Specify expertise level and technical depth
- Define preferred response length and format
- Request specific perspectives or viewpoints
- Establish tone and personality
3. Structure Conversations Help ChatGPT contribute effectively:
- Clearly state questions and requests
- Provide necessary context upfront
- Break complex problems into manageable parts
- Summarize key points periodically
4. Review and Validate Don't blindly accept AI suggestions:
- Cross-reference important information
- Have human experts verify critical recommendations
- Discuss AI contributions as a group before implementing
- Maintain healthy skepticism
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Over-Tagging Constantly mentioning ChatGPT interrupts flow. Let it observe and contribute naturally.
Information Overload Sending too many documents or messages without structure overwhelms both AI and humans.
Replacing Human Connection Use ChatGPT to enhance collaboration, not replace authentic human interaction.
Neglecting Privacy Remember that conversations involve multiple people—be mindful of what you share.
The Dawn of Collaborative AI
ChatGPT group chats mark a pivotal moment in the evolution of artificial intelligence. For the first time, AI isn't just a tool individuals use alone—it's a participant in human social and professional collaboration.
This transformation reflects broader shifts in how we work, learn, and connect. As remote work becomes standard across tech hubs from Silicon Valley to Singapore, asynchronous collaboration tools become essential. Adding intelligent AI to the mix creates possibilities that didn't exist before:
- Small teams can punch above their weight with AI amplifying their capabilities
- Global collaboration becomes seamless with AI bridging time zones and languages
- Knowledge becomes more accessible as AI makes expertise available on-demand
- Creativity flourishes when humans focus on vision while AI handles execution
However, this future requires thoughtful navigation. We must balance efficiency gains against the value of human connection, automate routine tasks while preserving meaningful work, and leverage AI capabilities while maintaining human agency and accountability.
As OpenAI refines group chats based on pilot feedback and expands globally throughout 2026, we're witnessing the early stages of what collaborative AI will become. The companies, teams, and individuals who master this new paradigm—using AI as a genuine collaborator rather than just a tool—will gain significant competitive advantages.
The question isn't whether AI will participate in our group conversations. It's how we'll adapt to make the most of this revolutionary capability while preserving what makes human collaboration uniquely valuable.
Group chats in ChatGPT aren't just a new feature. They're a glimpse into the future of how humans and AI will work together.
ChatGPT group chats are currently available in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan for users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans. Global expansion expected in 2026. Source
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