Original video in Chinese.
Key Takeaway
- The essential difference in group chats: Slack/DingTalk are “forcing AI into old collaboration software,” while ChatGPT group chats are “collaboration growing out of the strongest AI natively,” crushing them on every dimension.
- Low-friction virality: join by link, no app or enterprise account required, free users can use it; OpenAI is deliberately using an extremely low barrier to ignite growth on the consumer side first, and eventually break through the enterprise-side wall.
- Core evolution: proactive mode tests AI’s “social intuition” and ability to “read the room,” turning it from a tool into a true assistant; it already supports web access/files/images, and Deep Research/Canvas/Sora will all be integrated later; whoever invokes it pays. In the future, as human-AI symbiotic workflows emerge, Slack/DingTalk’s moat disappears. Unless Gemini/Claude follow suit, ChatGPT is unbeatable in collaboration.
ChatGPT has launched a feature that may keep collaboration software like Slack and DingTalk up at night: group chats.
Many entrepreneurs might think this is nothing special: isn’t it just stuffing a chatbot into a group? What’s the big deal?
You can remember this view of mine. If I’m proven wrong later, feel free to call me out:
Slack and DingTalk are “forcing AI into collaboration software.”
ChatGPT group chats, on the other hand, are “collaboration growing out of AI.”
This feature is still in the pilot stage and is only available in four regions, including Japan and South Korea. But I found that as long as you switch your network to one of those regions and refresh the page, it appears.
Look, there’s a new button in the upper-right corner of the page for creating a group chat—there used to be only a button for creating a temporary conversation. After clicking it, a link is generated. Just share the link with the people you want to invite.
This is the first thing I like: no need to download an app, no need to register for a complicated enterprise account, you can join simply through a link. And even free-tier ChatGPT users can join group chats!
At first I was puzzled. Given how stingy OpenAI usually is, how could they possibly open a new feature to free users too? Then I suddenly realized they want to use an extremely low barrier to spark virality from the consumer side first, and eventually break through the enterprise-side wall.
After the group is created, as the owner you can add people and change the group’s name. Most importantly, you can customize the settings. For example, you can write a long prompt telling GPT what the group background is, what the goal is, and you can choose how the AI should respond—this is the most critical part.
Think about it: since this is a group chat, how should the AI bot participate in the interaction? OpenAI offers two options:
The first is that GPT only replies when it is @-mentioned. At other times, it stays quietly put. For example, anyone in the group can @ChatGPT to ask a question. I call this “lurking mode.”
The second is to let it reply automatically. In this case, GPT chooses on its own when to jump in, without you specifically @-mentioning it. I call this “proactive mode.”
“Lurking mode” can be done by anyone; it’s not hard. But “proactive mode” really tests the AI’s abilities.
It’s no longer the one-on-one chat of before; it has become a group chat. So it has to have “social intuition” and be able to “read the room.”
It needs to know how to “listen,” how to “understand,” and how to “participate proactively.” It’s no longer just a tool in the group, but a true assistant—this is the most core and critical evolution.
On this basis, OpenAI has added web search, file and photo uploads, and image generation to group chats. Later, Deep Research, Canvas, Sora, and other features will definitely be added as well.
As for the details of group chats, OpenAI has thought of those too. For example, who pays for the cost when GPT is invoked in a group? OpenAI’s solution is simple: whoever invokes it pays for it. Or, to put it more bluntly: whoever GPT speaks to pays for it.
So you see, Slack, Teams, and DingTalk are desperately bolting AI features onto old chat software. But ChatGPT group chats are growing chat functionality on top of the strongest native AI model. That’s a difference of an entire dimension.
You can discuss where to go for vacation with your family and friends in a group, and GPT will help plan the route; you can also discuss work with colleagues, and GPT will help analyze documents and do deep search; you can even use Sora to generate funny videos and riff on memes with your buddies.
Once consumer users get used to this experience, the so-called moat on the enterprise side disappears.
Unless Gemini and Claude also launch group chat features, in the long run no one can beat ChatGPT in the collaboration race. Because this will evolve into a brand-new human-AI symbiotic workflow.
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