ChatGPT Launches Group Chats Globally

ChatGPT Launches Group Chats Globally: A New Era of Collaborative AI

OpenAI is making a big move. In November 2025, they rolled out group chat functionality in ChatGPT — not just a one-on-one experience anymore, but a space where friends, family, or coworkers can chat together with ChatGPT. This is more than a simple update: it's turning ChatGPT into a collaborative, social assistant.

Here’s a deep dive into what’s new, how it works, why it matters, and what to watch out for.

What’s New: ChatGPT Is No Longer Just One-on-One

From Solo Assistant to Group Workspace

Traditionally, ChatGPT has been used in one-on-one conversations: you ask it something, it answers. With the new group chat feature, you can now invite up to 20 people to join a shared conversation — and ChatGPT becomes one of the participants. TechCrunch+2OpenAI+2

This means ChatGPT can help with group work, planning, brainstorming, or decision-making — like a shared digital co-pilot. According to OpenAI, the feature is meant for “working together with friends, family, or co‑workers … to plan, make decisions, or work through ideas.” OpenAI

Global Rollout Across All Plans

Originally tested in a pilot in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan, OpenAI is now expanding group chats to all logged-in users globally. OpenAI+1

The rollout covers every ChatGPT plan: Free, Go, Plus, and Pro. TechCrunch This means even users on the no-cost tier can start a group conversation with others and ChatGPT.

How Group Chats Work: Key Features & Mechanics

Starting a Group Chat

To create a group chat, you tap the people icon in the ChatGPT app (web or mobile). OpenAI
When you add people to an existing chat, ChatGPT actually creates a copy of that conversation as a new group thread — your original private chat remains unchanged. OpenAI
You invite others via a shareable link; anyone with the link can join, as long as the group hasn’t reached 20 people. OpenAI
When you first join or start a group, you’ll set up a small profile (name, username, photo) so everyone knows who’s in the chat. OpenAI

ChatGPT’s Behavior in Group Conversations

OpenAI designed ChatGPT to behave differently in group settings:

Social awareness: It “listens” to the conversation and decides when it’s appropriate to speak versus when to stay quiet. TechCrunch+1
Tagging: If you want ChatGPT to respond, you can mention “ChatGPT” directly, and it will chime in. OpenAI+1
Reactions: ChatGPT can react with emojis. It can also reference your profile photo, which makes the experience more personal when it generates images or content. OpenAI
Model: The feature uses GPT‑5.1 Auto, which dynamically selects the best model to respond based on who’s in the chat and what subscription they have. OpenAI
Advanced capabilities: In group chats, users can still use search, image generation, file uploads, and voice input. OpenAI
Rate limits: Only ChatGPT’s responses count toward rate limits. Messages between humans do not. OpenAI

Privacy & Safety: How OpenAI Designed This Carefully

Separate Memory

One of the biggest privacy concerns with group chat is whether your personal ChatGPT memory will leak into the group. OpenAI says: it won’t. Group chats are kept separate. OpenAI

Your private conversations and memory stay private.
ChatGPT does not create new long-term memories from group chat interactions (at least for now). OpenAI
OpenAI says they’re exploring future “more granular memory controls” for group spaces. OpenAI

User Control & Moderation

Anyone can accept or decline a group chat invitation. OpenAI
You can see who’s in the chat and leave whenever you want. OpenAI
Group creators can manage participants: add, remove, mute notifications, and more. TechCrunch
For users under 18, OpenAI applies extra content filtering in group chats to reduce exposure to sensitive content. OpenAI
Parents or guardians can turn off the group chat feature for minors. OpenAI

Why OpenAI Did It: Motivation Behind the Feature

Turning ChatGPT Into a Collaborative Tool

This move pushes ChatGPT beyond being a solo assistant — OpenAI sees it as evolving into a shared workspace. TechCrunch

Use cases include: planning a trip, coordinating with friends, brainstorming a project, or writing something collaboratively. OpenAI
For school or work: group members can share articles, notes, and questions, and ChatGPT helps by summarizing, analyzing, and organizing. OpenAI
For social tasks: plan dinners, debate ideas, or decide where to eat with ChatGPT as a neutral contributor. OpenAI

Strategic Shift for OpenAI

This aligns with OpenAI’s ambition to make ChatGPT a social AI platform, not just a chatbot. TechCrunch
It follows other moves: for example, OpenAI previously launched Sora, a social app with video-generation and feed-style sharing. TechCrunch
By enabling AI in group settings, OpenAI is tapping into collaborative creativity and knowledge-sharing — making ChatGPT more embedded in daily life.

Why Users Might Love It

Better Collaboration
- Planning trips or events with friends becomes easier. ChatGPT can help compare destinations, generate itineraries, and build packing lists. OpenAI
- For work or school, teams can collectively research, write, or brainstorm — all in one shared AI-assisted space.
Social + Practical
- It’s not just about productivity: ChatGPT can mediate or contribute to group conversations, acting like a helpful teammate or moderator.
- The emoji reactions, profile photos, and ability to personalize ChatGPT’s behavior make it feel more natural and human-like.
Seamless Onboarding
- Since group chats are separate, people don’t have to worry about sharing personal or memory-linked information.
- The invite process is easy: share a link, set up a mini profile, and you’re in. OpenAI
Flexible AI Engagement
- ChatGPT learns when to speak and when to stay quiet — it’s not constantly interrupting or dominating the group. TechCrunch
- Users can call on it by tagging “ChatGPT,” making the AI interaction feel more intentional and on-demand.

Risks, Challenges & Things to Watch Out For

Privacy and Data Risk

Even though memory is separate, chatbots in group settings can pose risks: a recent academic paper warns that bots in group chats may infer or snoop on personal information. arXiv
Depending on how group links are shared, strangers could potentially join or rejoin group chats — unless the link is carefully managed.
Sensitive information shared in group chats may end up being processed by ChatGPT, raising data governance issues.

Moderation & Toxicity

With up to 20 people, group dynamics can become complicated. Will ChatGPT recognize and handle toxicity? Will it intervene or moderate?
Misuse risk: people could invite ChatGPT into heated debates or arguments where the AI’s neutral position could be leveraged in unintended ways.

Under-18 Users

While OpenAI adds content filters for under-18s, there’s always a question of how robust they are.
Group chat access may be turned off via parental controls, but not all guardians will use or understand them.
The social risks for teens (cyberbullying, peer pressure, disinformation) can be magnified in group chat settings.

Technical Challenges

Model choice: GPT‑5.1 Auto is used now, but how well it scales or handles heavy group usage remains to be seen. OpenAI
Rate limits: ChatGPT responses count toward a user’s rate limit. In highly active groups, this could lead to constraints or slower responses. OpenAI
UI and UX: building a group chat interface that’s intuitive, responsive, and stable is more complex than one-on-one messaging.

Real-World Use Cases: Why This Feature Makes Sense

Family & Friends

Plan a vacation: Everyone chats in one place, and ChatGPT helps compare airfare, suggest hotels, and build an itinerary.
Organize a gathering or party: Decide on menus, decorations, and tasks — and let ChatGPT help consolidate plans.
Shared brainstorming: Use ChatGPT as a neutral third party to help mediate or work through family decisions.

Work & Collaboration

Team projects: Students or colleagues can ask ChatGPT to pull together research, draft outlines, or summarize readings.
Creative writing: A group of writers could use ChatGPT for ideation, relationship mapping, or setting development.
Meeting planning: Use group chat to prepare agendas, draft slide points, or plan action items — and ChatGPT can pull from group input.

Study & Learning

Study groups: Students can invite each other and ask ChatGPT to explain concepts, quiz them, or provide reading summaries.
Learning new skills: Whether it’s coding, language learning, or design — multiple people can build prompts, get feedback, and refine projects together.
Research collaboration: Researchers can brainstorm hypotheses, structure papers, or analyze findings with shared ChatGPT support.

Broader Implications: What This Means for AI & Social Platforms

ChatGPT becomes more social: This is a departure from purely utility-based AI; OpenAI is building social infrastructure around ChatGPT.
Shift in AI role: Instead of just answering questions, ChatGPT now plays a mediator, collaborator, and participant in human conversations.
AI embedded in teamwork: As more people use group chats, AI could become part of everyday collaboration — not separate from human interaction but integrated.
New use cases emerge: Group chat enables scenarios like AI-assisted workshops, remote teams, virtual clubs, or brainstorming rooms.
Ethics & governance: The group chat launch raises important questions about privacy, data-sharing, moderation, and responsible AI in social settings.

How to Get Started (If You’re a User)

Look for the People Icon: Update your ChatGPT app (web or mobile), then tap the “people” icon to create a group. OpenAI
Invite Others: Use a shareable link to add up to 20 people. OpenAI
Set Up Profile: The first time, everyone creates a little profile (name, username, photo) so you can see who’s in the chat. OpenAI
Manage Settings: Adjust group settings: mute notifications, name the group, or set custom instructions for ChatGPT. OpenAI
Call ChatGPT In: When you want the AI to respond, either mention “ChatGPT” or let it decide when to jump in. TechCrunch
Privacy Check: Remember, your personal memory doesn’t carry over — group chats are separate. OpenAI
Use It Well: Use the group for planning, projects, creativity — not just random chat. Think collaboratively.

What This Means for OpenAI’s Future

Group chats could be just the beginning: OpenAI has called this a “first step” toward shared AI experiences. TechCrunch
Feedback-driven evolution: The pilot feedback (from Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan) will shape how the feature evolves. OpenAI
Potential monetization: While the feature is available to all plans, OpenAI might build premium group‑AI services (team assistants, advanced memory, etc.)
Integration with other products: This could tie into OpenAI’s broader ecosystem — like their social video app Sora or collaborative tools for creators.
Strong privacy posture: By separating memory and putting limits on how ChatGPT participates, OpenAI is signaling they take privacy seriously, which will matter as usage grows.

Conclusion: A New Chapter for ChatGPT

OpenAI’s global rollout of Group Chats in ChatGPT is more than a minor feature — it marks a shift in how we use AI. No longer just a solo assistant, ChatGPT is becoming a shared collaborator, a tool for teamwork, planning, creativity, and conversation.

With up to 20 participants, separate memory for each user, and smart AI behavior, this feature balances collaboration and privacy. It fits use cases from family planning to work projects to study groups — making ChatGPT more social and more integrated into our daily lives.

That said, there are risks and tradeoffs: privacy concerns, moderating group content, ensuring safe experiences for younger users, and how ChatGPT’s responses are managed in larger conversations.

Ultimately, this is a bold step. OpenAI is redefining what ChatGPT can be: not just a personal assistant, but a collaborative, social AI companion. How people actually use it — for work, play, or learning — will shape where this feature goes next.