OpenAI has officially launched its long-anticipated group chat feature across the globe, giving users everywhere the ability to collaborate with up to 20 people in a single ChatGPT-powered conversation. Until last week, the feature was limited to regions like Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan. Now, with its global release, the update marks ChatGPT’s first truly shared space where multiple users can exchange ideas and bring AI directly into group interactions.

The feature is built for versatility—perfect for planning trips, discussing projects with colleagues, studying with friends, or even entertaining deep late-night debates with family members. The idea is to allow people to think together while having an AI available as a helpful mediator whenever needed.

Explaining the purpose of the update, OpenAI says, “With group chats, you can bring friends, family, or coworkers into a shared space to plan, make decisions, or work through ideas together.”

Creating a group is straightforward. A new people icon now appears at the top of the ChatGPT interface. Tapping it generates a link that can be shared with anyone using ChatGPT, regardless of whether they’re on a free or paid plan. Once users join, they can contribute to discussions, drop in ideas, or tag ChatGPT whenever the group needs clarification, suggestions, or a deeper dive into a topic.

Each group can include up to 20 members, and one standout feature sets it apart from platforms like WhatsApp: newcomers can immediately see the entire chat history. This ensures late entrants don’t miss background details or earlier conversations. While only the creator is safe from removal, everyone else has permission to remove members. Users can also rename the group or add context so ChatGPT can better understand the purpose of the conversation and respond more accurately.

Inside these group chats, ChatGPT behaves differently compared to one-on-one chats. Instead of jumping into every message, the AI observes quietly and contributes only when it detects that its input is valuable—or when someone tags it directly. It works almost like an exceptionally polite participant who waits for the right moment to speak.

Driving this capability is GPT-5.1 Auto, a behind-the-scenes system that selects the best model for each person based on their subscription tier. This means that within the same group, a Pro subscriber may see more detailed or powerful responses than someone on the free version. It’s the same conversation, but with individually optimized performance.

Privacy remains a central focus for OpenAI. The company confirms that private memory does not function inside group chats, ensuring the AI won’t retain or personalize information shared in these conversations. Anyone can exit a group whenever they wish, and if a minor joins, sensitive-content filters activate automatically for everyone. Parents also have the option to disable the feature entirely for young users.

All core ChatGPT tools—web browsing, file uploads, image creation, voice dictation, and more—work seamlessly inside group chats. This makes it possible for a team to plan a vacation, calculate expenses, outline a project, or design custom T-shirts without leaving the chat.

With its worldwide launch, ChatGPT group chats could quickly become a new digital gathering space—part planning room, part study hub, and part casual hangout—offering a smarter way for people to collaborate, learn, and create together.