OpenAI is taking its chatbot, ChatGPT, beyond one-on-one conversations. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) company has announced now group chats are now available globally. This rollout includes Free, Go, Plus, and Pro accounts.
Following the launch, users worldwide can now create group chats with up to 20 participants who have accepted the invite, turning the AI from a private assistant into a collaborative tool. According to OpenAI, group chats allow participants to brainstorm, plan, or create together, with ChatGPT joining the conversation when mentioned. The AI can summarize discussions, compare options, suggest ideas, and even generate images based on the group context. It reacts with emojis, references profile pictures, and adapts its behavior depending on the flow of the conversation.
Users can create a group chat by tapping the people icon in any chat, add participants, or generate a shareable invite link. Additionally, existing chats can be duplicated into new group threads, keeping the original conversation private. Each member will be asked to set up a small profile with a name, username, and photo, making interactions more recognizable. For easy access, Group chats appear in a dedicated sidebar.
The update runs on GPT‑5.1 Auto, dynamically selecting the best available model for your subscription tier. It also supports search, file uploads, voice input, and image generation. Only ChatGPT’s responses count toward rate limits, while messages exchanged between participants don’t.
OpenAI says privacy and moderation are built in. Personal ChatGPT memories remain separate, and group conversations don’t feed into private memories. Users are also able to control who joins, mute notifications, and set custom instructions for ChatGPT behavior. Younger users get additional safeguards, and parental controls can disable group chats entirely.
The global launch follows positive pilot tests in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan. OpenAI says the feature will continue evolving based on how people use it.
