OpenAI adds Group Chats to ChatGPT: Now plan trips, projects and events together
OpenAI has introduced a new group chat feature in ChatGPT, enabling users to collaborate with friends, family, and colleagues in shared conversations. Launched as a pilot in select regions, the feature assists with planning, brainstorming, academic work, and more – maintaining personal chats.
OpenAI has officially announced a pilot rollout of group chats in ChatGPT, enabling users to work together in one shared conversation space. This new feature is available from 13 November for logged-in users on Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans, but only in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan during the pilot phase.
The company emphasised that group chats are entirely separate from personal conversations, ensuring individual privacy and memory safety. No personal memory from any user is visible to others.
A new way to plan trips, projects and events
The group chat feature is designed to simplify coordination across different use cases. Users can collaborate on:
- Weekend trips with AI helping compare destinations, plan itineraries, and make packing lists
- Home projects like interior design, garden planning, or décor ideas
- Daily decisions such as choosing a restaurant or settling friendly debates
- Academic and work tasks, including drafting outlines, summarising notes, and organising research
- ChatGPT acts as a neutral, intelligent assistant in the group, offering suggestions and handling tasks as multiple participants interact.
How does the new Group Chat feature work?
- Starting a group chat is simple — users just tap the people icon in the top-right corner of any chat screen. Inviting someone creates a duplicate copy of the chat, preserving the original.
- Groups can include 1 to 20 participants, who join via an invitation link. Users set a profile (name, photo, username) for transparency, and group chats appear in a new section on the sidebar.
- Chats run on GPT-5.1 Auto, automatically picking the best model depending on a user’s plan. Participants can upload files, search within chats, generate images, and use voice dictation. Rate limits only apply to AI responses.
ChatGPT has also been trained with social awareness—it speaks only when relevant, and users can tag “ChatGPT” to prompt replies. It can use emojis and even create personalised group images using profile photos.
Privacy, safety and parental controls
OpenAI stressed that group chats do not use or create personal memory, and all participants are visible to each other. Anyone can leave a group at any time, though only the creator can remove themselves.
If any member is under 18, sensitive content is automatically filtered. Parents can also disable group chats from parental controls.
Early step toward shared AI experiences
OpenAI describes this rollout as a first step toward richer shared interactions inside ChatGPT. Global expansion will follow after evaluating feedback from pilot regions.