OpenAI Reportedly Testing Direct Messages and Group Chats for ChatGPT — Turning It Into a Social Platform

OpenAI may soon transform ChatGPT from a conversational AI assistant into a social networking-style platform, with reports suggesting that the company is developing Direct Messages (DMs) and Group Chat features.

According to early leaks, the update — currently in testing — could allow users to chat, collaborate, and even create together inside ChatGPT, marking a major step in OpenAI’s push to turn its flagship AI into an “everything app.”

🧠 ChatGPT’s Next Big Evolution

In recent months, OpenAI has expanded ChatGPT’s ecosystem significantly:

It launched Sora 2, a powerful AI video generation model, followed by a TikTok-like AI video app under the same name.

Earlier this month, the company introduced an Apps SDK, enabling developers to create custom AI apps that run directly inside ChatGPT — a move seen as competition to Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

OpenAI also unveiled its ChatGPT Agent, capable of performing autonomous tasks like web navigation, form submissions, and information extraction.

Now, the addition of DMs and group chats could give ChatGPT a social layer, allowing users to message each other directly and collaborate in real time — similar to existing platforms like Discord, Telegram, or Slack.

💬 Feature Details: ‘Calpico’ and ‘Calpico Rooms’

The upcoming feature was spotted by Tibor Blaho, Lead Engineer at AIPRM.com, who discovered it in the beta version of the ChatGPT Android app.

Blaho noted that the feature is internally codenamed “Calpico” and “Calpico Rooms.” It appears to mirror the DM functionality already available in OpenAI’s Sora app for iPhone.

According to Blaho’s post on X (formerly Twitter), users will be able to:

• Brainstorm and plan together
• Ask questions and share ideas
• Create images collaboratively
• Chat in groups or one-on-one

However, each user’s private ChatGPT memory will remain inaccessible to others in the chat, ensuring privacy.

🔐 Privacy and Security Concerns

While the new chat functionality sounds promising, OpenAI hasn’t confirmed whether DMs or group chats will feature end-to-end encryption — a standard privacy measure found in apps like WhatsApp and Signal.

OpenAI’s handling of user data has faced scrutiny in the past. Earlier this year, a “Share Chats” feature allowed users to make their conversations public. However, some private chats were inadvertently indexed by Google Search, forcing OpenAI to roll back the feature and coordinate with search engines to remove them.

Given this background, experts believe privacy protections will be a major focus as OpenAI tests its new communication tools.

🌐 Toward an ‘Everything App’ Vision

OpenAI’s move aligns with CEO Sam Altman’s broader vision of making ChatGPT not just a chatbot, but a universal AI companion — one capable of assisting, creating, and connecting users in a single ecosystem.

If successfully rolled out, the new DMs and group chat features could position ChatGPT as one of the first AI-driven social collaboration platforms, bridging the gap between AI assistants and traditional social apps.