OpenAI Brings Group Chats to ChatGPT for All Users
OpenAI is rolling out group chat functionality inside ChatGPT, turning single user conversations into shared threads with up to 20 participants. The change expands collaborative uses, raises new privacy and safety questions, and comes with controls OpenAI says it will refine as usage grows.
OpenAI begins a global rollout today of a group chat feature inside ChatGPT, moving the artificial intelligence companion from a one on one tool to a shared space where up to 20 people can converse in a single thread. The feature is being made available to logged in users across Free, Go, Plus and Pro tiers, and OpenAI is distributing the capability broadly starting Nov. 20 and 21, 2025.
Group chats can be created from existing one on one threads, with OpenAI copying the original conversation to preserve the private discussion while producing a new shared thread. Participants join through shareable links and users can set brief profiles that include a name, username and photo. The system supports images and file uploads, image generation, dictation and search features, and the assistant is designed to follow multi person conversation flow and respond selectively when addressed. Users can summon the assistant inside a group by tagging ChatGPT.
The move reflects a shift in how people might use conversational AI, from individual drafting and research to collaborative planning, team coordination and social exchanges. In pilots, participants used group threads for project brainstorming, lesson planning and coordinated customer support tasks, prompting OpenAI to widen availability after early feedback. The company also emphasizes that group chats do not create or use persistent personal memories, a distinction intended to limit long term data linking across interactions.
The rollout raises immediate questions about safety, privacy and moderation. Group threads can amplify misinformation and abuse because they expose the assistant and human participants to many contributors simultaneously. Shareable links make it easier to add large numbers of people quickly, complicating identity verification and control. OpenAI says it will continue to refine controls and safeguards and will implement parental controls for minors as part of an ongoing effort to manage risk as group usage grows.
For businesses, educators and creators the feature promises efficiency gains. Teams can keep a single record of collaborative work, share images and documents, and use in built image generation to iterate visual concepts in real time. For casual users, group chats offer a new way to coordinate events and plan activities with AI assistance. Those potential benefits will be weighed against the need for clearer governance around data retention, consent and moderation rules in mixed user settings.
OpenAI’s announcement arrives amid heightened scrutiny of generative AI across regulators and privacy advocates. How the company implements controls, enforces content rules and prevents misuse in group settings will influence both user trust and regulatory responses. As the rollout reaches millions of users, the company plans further adjustments based on observed behavior and user feedback, signaling that the feature will evolve as it encounters the practical and ethical challenges of collective AI assisted conversation.
