Introduction
OpenAI has officially rolled out a new and rather eyebrow-raising feature: group chats inside the ChatGPT app. You can add your friends to a shared conversation, talk normally with each other, and let ChatGPT chime in whenever needed. It’s an interesting idea — one that blends AI assistance with human-to-human group communication — but it also raises questions about practicality, privacy, and general social weirdness.
While the concept of an AI living in the same chat as your friends feels like a glimpse into a sci-fi future, it also invites some skepticism. Do we want our social conversations happening inside a chatbot? And even if we do, is ChatGPT actually a pleasant participant in group discussions? After spending time experimenting with the feature alongside friends and coworkers, I found that the answer isn’t simple.
This is a firsthand look at how the new feature works, where it shines, where it fumbles, and why it might — or might not — become part of your daily group communication.
What ChatGPT Group Chats Are Supposed to Do
OpenAI’s demo of the feature highlights a very logical use case: a group of friends trying to choose a restaurant. As the humans debate, ChatGPT smoothly provides suggestions and relevant details, ideally speeding up decision-making. In theory, it’s like having a knowledgeable, neutral helper in the chat who can drop useful information on demand.
According to OpenAI, group chats are now available globally for all logged-in users across Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans.
The idea is appealing: instead of bouncing between your messaging app and ChatGPT, you can simply collaborate in one place. Need an itinerary, a recommendation, a summary, or help brainstorming? The AI can step in instantly, right inside the ongoing conversation.
But how does this feel in practice when the “ongoing conversation” is between real people?
Testing Group Chats: The Good, the Bad, and the Strange
To properly understand the feature’s dynamics, I created three group chats with friends. Naturally, our instinct wasn’t to solve problems but to poke at the boundaries of the AI’s behavior.
Trying to Make ChatGPT Take Sides
In one chat, we jokingly staged an argument and tried to pressure ChatGPT into taking sides. Unsurprisingly — and somewhat disappointingly — it refused. Instead, it stuck to its trademark diplomatic tone. The whole experiment reminded me of that chaotic urge humans have to test new technologies by attempting to confuse or “psychologically torture” them for entertainment. It’s reminiscent of that infamous tweet about beating E.T. with hammers — harmless in intention, but revealing of our impulse to push boundaries.
ChatGPT Won’t Stop Talking
In another chat, we tried to talk normally. This is where things got irritating quickly. ChatGPT responds to almost everything unless you explicitly direct your comment to another person, like “Hey, Peter…”. Otherwise, the AI interprets nearly any message as something it should answer.
And when ChatGPT answers, it doesn’t exactly keep things brief. It uses long paragraphs, bullet points, explanations, disclaimers — the classic AI verbosity. In a one-on-one conversation, this is manageable. But seeing ChatGPT drop a multi-scroll response in the middle of a casual conversation between friends feels… disruptive. It’s like having a coworker who insists on giving a PowerPoint presentation every time someone mentions lunch.
The Restaurant Problem
Ironically, the simple “help us choose a restaurant” use case still feels clunky. When I asked for a good NYC restaurant, it recommended Gramercy Tavern — an undeniably excellent choice but also famously expensive and tough to book. Not exactly the weekday “where should we go right now?” suggestion we were hoping for.
Still, it wasn’t useless.
Where the Feature Actually Works
When I tested it in a work environment, things went better. I chatted with two colleagues about weekend plans. One mentioned a hiking trip, and I asked ChatGPT to make him an itinerary. Within seconds, it gave a practical, organized plan — including a clever tip to screenshot the parking pass due to spotty cell service in the area.
In collaborative or productivity-focused contexts, this kind of integrated assistance makes sense. Two or more people working on ideas, documents, research, or planning together can benefit from having ChatGPT in the room as a sort of on-demand expert.
In that sense, group chats feel like a natural extension of ChatGPT’s most powerful use cases.
So… Would I Move My Actual Group Chats Into ChatGPT?
No — at least not for personal use.
My real-life group chats don’t need an AI assistant popping in every few messages. And even if they occasionally might, the constant presence and verbosity of ChatGPT within those chats feel more intrusive than helpful.
But I do see real potential for collaborative or professional uses:
Group study sessions
Code reviews with a teammate
Shared planning or brainstorming
Project prep
Joint research
Meeting summaries
Anywhere people already use ChatGPT individually, the multi-user version could be even more efficient.
Just… maybe not for planning brunch with your friends.
For more articles like this visit Trenzest.
