OpenAI has begun pilot testing its new group chat feature for ChatGPT in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan, allowing multiple people to collaborate with the AI assistant in a single shared conversation. The feature enables users to plan trips, discuss renovation ideas, search for restaurants that match group preferences and organize school or work projects by turning shared notes and files into structured reports.
To start a group chat, users tap the people icon in the upper-right corner while in a new or existing conversation. If launched from an existing chat, ChatGPT automatically moves the group into a fresh thread to keep previous messages private. Participants can be added manually or via an invite link, and up to 20 people can join. Each member creates a simple profile with a name, username and photo. The group chat supports all core ChatGPT tools, including file uploads, image generation and search. Anyone with the invite link can add new members unless the creator restricts this, and while users can mute or remove others, the creator of the group cannot be removed. If someone under 18 is present, ChatGPT automatically activates stricter content limits for all members.
The feature runs on GPT-5.1 Auto, which selects the best model for each interaction based on the user’s plan. The assistant is trained to behave naturally in group settings, responding only when needed unless someone calls it directly by mentioning “ChatGPT.” Group chats operate independently from private chats, and personal ChatGPT memory is not shared across participants. Additional user controls and parental restrictions, including the option to disable group chat entirely for younger users, are also part of the system.
The pilot is currently limited to four regions and is available to both free and paid users. OpenAI plans to refine the experience using feedback from early testers before expanding the feature to more countries.