ChatGPT launches group chats globally

ChatGPT is launching group chats globally for all users on the Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans, OpenAI announced Thursday. This move comes a week after the company began testing the feature in specific regions, including Japan and New Zealand.

This feature allows users to collaborate with each other and with ChatGPT in one shared conversation. OpenAI says the launch transforms ChatGPT from a one-on-one assistant into a space where friends, family, or coworkers can work together to plan, create, and make decisions.

The company sees group conversations in ChatGPT as a way for people to coordinate trips, co-write documents, settle discussions, or work through research together, while ChatGPT helps research, summarize, and compare options.

Up to 20 people can participate in a group chat as long as they accept the invitation. The company says that personal settings and memory remain specific to each user.

To start a group chat, users need to tap on the people icon and add participants, either directly or by sharing a link. Everyone will be asked to set up a short profile with their name, username and photo.

Note that adding someone to an existing chat creates a new chat, leaving the original chat untouched.

OpenAI says ChatGPT knows when to intervene and when to remain quiet during a group conversation. Users can tag “ChatGPT” to make it responsive. Additionally, ChatGPT can reply to messages with emojis, and tag profile photos.

This move represents OpenAI’s latest step in transforming ChatGPT from a simple chatbot into a social platform. OpenAI says group chats are just the beginning of ChatGPT’s transformation into a collaborative environment, not just a single-player experience.

“Over time, we see ChatGPT playing a more active role in real group conversations, helping people plan, create, and take action together,” the company wrote in an email to TechCrunch.

Thursday’s announcement comes less than two weeks after the launch of GPT‑5.1, which includes both Instant and Thinking versions of the model. In September, OpenAI launched a social app called Sora, where users can create videos of themselves and their friends to share on a TikTok-style algorithmic feed.