ChatGPT tests group chats in four countries

OpenAI is beginning to test ChatGPT group chats, a feature that lets you talk with other people and the assistant in the same space. The pilot is available to registered users in four countries and turns ChatGPT into another participant in the conversation, not just an individual tool.

The feature is available on mobile and web for users on the Free, Go, Plus and Pro plans in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan. For now, it is a limited test: OpenAI wants to observe how people use it before expanding access to other regions and plans.

What you can do with a group chat

The goal is to handle tasks that would normally require coordination across several channels. You can create a group to:

• Organize a trip, compare destinations and prepare an itinerary.
• Choose a restaurant that suits everyone’s tastes.
• Design a garden or find decor for a home.
• Prepare a work outline, summarize articles or research a topic.
• Settle a disagreement with ChatGPT as an impartial referee.

ChatGPT can search for information, analyze files and images, generate images and transcribe voice messages. Its responses use GPT-5.1 Auto, which selects the most appropriate model based on the request and the plan of the user it is responding to.

Usage limits only apply when ChatGPT intervenes. Messages between people in the group do not count toward that limit, but each assistant response counts against the available limit of the person ChatGPT is responding to.

ChatGPT does not respond to everything

OpenAI has designed specific behavior for shared conversations. ChatGPT follows the context and decides when to participate and when to stay silent, rather than automatically replying to every message.

If you want to get its attention, you can mention “ChatGPT” in the message. It can also react with emojis and use participants’ profile photos to create personalized images within the group.

Each chat can have its own name, instructions and tone. For example, you can ask it to be more concise, provide more context or act as a task coordinator.

Your private conversation stays separate

When you turn an existing conversation into a group, ChatGPT creates a new copy. The original conversation remains private and is not mixed with the shared chat.

ChatGPT’s personal memory is not used in groups, and the assistant does not create new memories from those conversations. OpenAI is considering adding more detailed controls to decide in the future whether memory can be used and how.

To join a group, you need to accept an invitation. The link can be shared with between one and twenty people, and anyone in the group can share it again. Everyone can see who is participating and leave the conversation whenever they want.

When you create or join your first group, you will need to set up a brief profile with a name, username and photo. You can also add or remove participants, mute notifications and change the group settings.

If someone under 18 participates, ChatGPT automatically reduces exposure to sensitive content for the entire group. Parents and guardians can also disable group chats through parental controls.

The test shows where ChatGPT wants to go next: from a tool that responds to one person to a space where several people collaborate with a shared assistant. The key question now is whether ChatGPT can add value without interrupting, revealing private information or becoming a participant who is noisier than useful.