OpenAI has launched group chats for ChatGPT users across the world, expanding the platform beyond its traditional one-on-one format and positioning it as a social, collaborative environment. The feature, announced on Thursday, is now available to users on all tiers — Free, Go, Plus, and Pro.
The global rollout comes just a week after OpenAI began testing group chats in select countries including Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan.
With the new feature, up to 20 people can participate in a single ChatGPT-powered conversation. The update allows friends, families, study groups, and colleagues to collaborate in real time while ChatGPT helps with planning, drafting, researching, comparing options, and resolving debates. OpenAI describes the shift as part of a broader evolution: turning ChatGPT from a solitary assistant into a shared workspace.
Users can start a group chat by tapping the people icon and adding participants directly or via an invite link. Before joining, everyone must set up a short profile with a name, username, and photo. Adding a new participant to an active chat automatically creates a fresh conversation thread, keeping the original intact.
OpenAI also clarified that personal settings and memory features remain private to each user — even in shared conversations. Within a group, ChatGPT will only chime in when tagged, though it can respond with emoji reactions and even reference participants’ profile photos.
The company said the goal is to make ChatGPT more socially aware in group dynamics: knowing when to contribute, when to stay quiet, and how to help discussions progress smoothly.
Thursday’s announcement comes shortly after the release of GPT-5.1, available in both Instant and Thinking modes, and two months after OpenAI introduced Sora, a social video-generation app with a TikTok-style feed.
OpenAI says group chats are “just the beginning” of a more interactive future for the platform. In an email to TechCrunch, the company stated that it envisions ChatGPT becoming a more active participant in real-world group conversations, helping people plan, create, and take action together.
