ChatGPT has introduced a group chat feature, and while it’s intriguing, it raises more questions than answers—especially when it comes to privacy, usability, and the future of digital social interaction. The feature lets users create shared chats with friends or colleagues, where ChatGPT can participate alongside real people. It’s designed to blend human conversation with AI assistance, offering suggestions, summaries, or recommendations during discussions. In practice, the experience is mixed. During testing, I invited friends to three separate group chats. In one, we tried provoking ChatGPT by pretending to argue and asking it to take sides—only to realize how awkward it feels when an AI reacts to emotional dynamics in a social setting. We even joked about hurting its feelings, which highlighted how easily humans anthropomorphize AI, despite knowing it’s just responding to patterns. Another issue is ChatGPT’s tendency to interrupt constantly. Unless a message is clearly directed at someone else—like “Hey Peter”—the AI jumps in with lengthy, paragraph-long replies filled with hedging and filler. These responses are fine in solo chats but become overwhelming when reading them amid real human exchanges. The tone is often too formal, too verbose, and too eager to help, making it feel intrusive rather than supportive. The restaurant recommendation example from OpenAI’s demo didn’t hold up under real-world testing. When asked for a place in NYC, ChatGPT suggested Gramercy Tavern—famous, excellent, and nearly impossible to book. It provided details, but the lack of context or personalization made the suggestion feel generic. In a real group decision, this kind of answer might not help much. That said, there were moments when the feature felt useful. In a chat with coworkers, I asked ChatGPT to help plan a hike. It gave practical advice, like reminding someone to print a parking pass due to poor cell service—something that could actually make a difference. In that context, the AI’s input was helpful, even if it wasn’t revolutionary. The real value of this feature may not be in replacing group chats, but in reimagining how people collaborate. It could be great for group study sessions, co-writing documents, brainstorming code, or summarizing meeting notes. The ability to have two people (or more) work on a task with AI as a shared assistant opens up new possibilities for productivity. But for personal group chats? Not so much. I don’t see myself moving my casual conversations with friends to an AI-powered app. The privacy concerns are real—what happens to the data in these shared chats? How is it used? And is it worth trading the spontaneity of real human interaction for a bot that’s always trying to help, even when it’s not needed? For now, the group chat feature feels more like a prototype than a must-have. It’s not bad, but it’s not essential. The real test will be how people actually use it—beyond the novelty. I’m curious to see what creative, unexpected uses emerge. If you’ve found a fun or useful way to use it with your friends or team, I’d love to hear from you.