Artificial intelligence company OpenAI has begun testing a significant innovation for its popular chatbot, ChatGPT. The company is adding group chats with multiple users to the platform. This new feature is currently in the pilot phase and is only available in select countries. The regions included in the testing phase are Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan. This step signals ChatGPT’s transformation from an individual assistant to a platform open to social interaction and collaboration.
Group chat with AI: ChatGPT joins groups of friends
The new feature operates similarly to group chats in familiar messaging apps. Users can create shared chat rooms with friends, family, or colleagues. However, the key difference in these groups is that ChatGPT is also an active participant. This allows AI to help group members accomplish common tasks. For example, when planning a vacation, it can create an itinerary based on the preferences of all participants or find a restaurant everyone in the group will enjoy for dinner.
The use of group chat isn’t limited to social activities. OpenAI aims for this feature to be a powerful tool, particularly for education and professional collaboration. Students or colleagues can incorporate ChatGPT into a collaborative project. For example, articles and notes added to the chat group can be used to ask the AI to draft a report or brainstorm. Exchanging ideas for home renovation projects is another prominent use case.
To start a group chat, users tap the “people” icon in the top right corner of a new or existing chat screen. If a group is created from an existing chat, ChatGPT will open a clean slate without using the chat history. Between 1 and 20 participants can be added to groups via the invitation link. Each participant must choose a name, username, and profile photo.
Group management and security rules have also been established. Anyone with the invitation link can add new people to the group. Furthermore, all participants, except the group creator, have the authority to mute or remove other members. As a security measure, if a user under 18 is in the chat, the chatbot automatically restricts sensitive content for the entire group.
Responses in group chats are powered by the GPT-5.1 Auto model. This model can autonomously decide which AI model to use based on the content of the incoming command. OpenAI emphasizes that ChatGPT is trained to follow the flow of group conversations, knowing when to remain silent and when to join the conversation. Participants can call the AI to join the chat at any time by saying “ChatGPT.” The company plans to expand the feature to a wider audience after improving it based on feedback from pilot users.
This new social capability of ChatGPT appears poised to increase the role of AI in our daily communication. So, what are your thoughts on OpenAI’s new group chat feature? Would you use such a feature? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
