"Why Invite AI Too?" A New Meeting Room for Up to 20 People + AI? The "Third Member" Created by ChatGPT Group Chat

What Can the Group Chat Feature Do?

According to OpenAI, the group chat has the following features:The Verge

• Number of participants:Up to 20 people + ChatGPT

• Target:All logged-in users including Free / Go / Plus / Pro

• Group existing chats directly from the "person" icon at the top right of the screen

• Issue an invitation link to increase participants by sharing it

• When joining for the first time, settingname, username, and icon imageis mandatory

• ChatGPT willdecide whether to speak or remain silent based on the flow of the conversation

• ChatGPT will always respond when mentioned

• Can generate personalized images using reaction emojis and icons

• From the management screen, you can add/remove members, mute notifications, and set custom instructions (tone and role)

Additionally, responses useGPT-5.1 Auto, which automatically selects the optimal model from those available to the user to respond to prompts, and this is the same for group chats. Rate limits only count the number of times ChatGPT has spoken, so even if used by multiple people, interactions between humans are not subject to restrictions.The Verge

What about Privacy and Memory?

Another major point is theseparation from the memory function. OpenAI states on its support page that

• memory accumulated in personal chats will not be carried over to group chats

• no new memory will be created from conversations in group chats

.OpenAI Help Center

This means that situations like "something accidentally mentioned in a group chat with friends being suddenly referenced in a one-on-one chat later" are designed to be avoided. On the other hand, custom instructions can be set for each group, allowing behaviors appropriate to the situation, such as "speak politely in this group" or "as a facilitator, bring the discussion back if it goes off track."custom instructions

What Uses Are Envisioned?

According to various media and OpenAI's own explanations, the following scenes are cited as representative use cases:The Times of India

• Planning aweekend trip with friends

  • Everyone writes down the places they want to go and the budget, and ChatGPT generates a plan that meets the conditions

  • Listing restaurant candidates and letting AI organize conditions such as "vegetarian-friendly" and "child-friendly"

• Lightweight project meetings atthe company

  • Team members write down ideas while chatting

  • ChatGPT summarizes the minutes and automatically generates a ToDo list

  • Generating draft specifications or email text on the spot

• Collaborative work on reports and research amongstudents

  • Each person pastes the materials and URLs they have collected, and asks ChatGPT for summaries and comparisons

  • Supporting the organization of references and creation of outlines

• Planning life events withfamily

  • In events with many tasks such as moving, weddings, and school admissions

  • ChatGPT identifies tasks and creates a checklist with deadlines

Not only text chat, but also image generation, file attachments, web searches, and other traditional ChatGPT features can be used within the group. Especially the workflow of "talking together and having AI create materials or images on the spot" can be very powerful when combined with existing video conferencing tools or chat apps.Tom's Guide

Initially tested in four countries including Japan, then worldwide

This group chat feature was not released globally all at once. OpenAI conducted a pilot in four countries—Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan—starting in mid-November.Gadgets 360

Due to positive reactions from the pilot, it was decided to roll out toall ChatGPT users worldwidein just about a week. Now, all logged-in users, including those on the free plan, are gradually gaining access to this feature.The Times of India

Incidentally, since Japan was included in the initial test regions, there were voices on social media saying, "It's rare for Japan to be at the forefront of AI experiments," and "The culture of 'chatting with AI in group chats' might take root first here."

Reactions on Social Media: Excitement, Discomfort, and Subtle Concerns

Since its launch, various voices have been circulating on X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, forums, etc. Overall, it seems to be amood mixed with anticipation and confusion.

1. "It seems incredibly useful for work" group

Among tech-savvy users and engineers, positive reactions are prominent.

• "It feels like combining Notion, Slack, and ChatGPT into one room," "For small teams, this alone might suffice for project management."

• Voices imagining workflows where meeting minutes are instantly generated and tasks are created with "Zoom meetings + ChatGPT group chat"

• Appreciation for the ability to throw prompts among multiple people, allowing "those good at writing prompts" and "those with domain knowledge" to collaborate in the same room

News sites and business media also introduce this feature as a "tool to enhance collaborative productivity."The Times of India

2. "It's weird to include AI in group chats with friends" group

On the other hand, Gizmodo reported on this feature with a rather harsh tone, calling it a "mysterious group chat where you can hang out with ChatGPT along with friends."Gizmodo

On social media,

• "I don't want AI to be there when I'm having silly chats with friends."

• "It's a bit creepy to have AI mixed into the human atmosphere."

• "What's different from placing an AI bot on Discord?"

Comments like these are frequently seen. Especially the structure of "having an AI running on a company's server constantly present in a real friend relationship" leaves many feeling uneasy.

3. Concerns about Privacy and Surveillance

Although OpenAI explains that "memory is not shared," there is a persistentconcern about conversation logs themselves being stored by OpenAI. On MacRumors and various forums,

• "Is it okay to share highly confidential work discussions in group chats?"

• "From a compliance perspective, isn't a guideline necessary for using it in official company settings?"

Such cautious discussions are also taking place.MacRumors

4. "It just seems fun, so I'll try it" group

Of course, there are also many light users who say, "Let's put aside the difficult stuff and just try it for fun."

• Deciding on a character setting together and having ChatGPT act as a "TRPG GM" or "romantic counselor"

• Sharing meme images among friends and having AI explain them

• Taking advantage of the fact that group inside jokes are not remembered (i.e., no memory is left), explaining from scratch each time and having AI make witty remarks

Such uses are being imagined, and reports of "trying it this way" have already started appearing on Reddit and other platforms.Reddit

Can AI Become a "Facilitator Who Reads the Room"?

What's unique about this update is that ChatGPTdoes not reply to every message. OpenAI explains that it has been trained to "decide when to speak or remain silent by observing the flow of conversation."The Verge

This aims to be more like a **"facilitator" or "secretary" who reads the room** rather than just a simple chatbot.

For example:

• Automatically organizing the options and pros and cons discussed so