OpenAI has launched a pilot of a group chat feature for ChatGPT, currently being tested in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan. The feature is available to Free, Plus and Team users on both mobile and web platforms, allowing groups of one to twenty participants to collaborate within the app. Privacy safeguards keep personal chats and memory private, while group chats are invitation‑only and can be left at any time. The pilot will collect user feedback to shape future expansion and functionality. Read more →

OpenAI has begun testing a group chat capability within ChatGPT in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan. The feature lets users create multi‑person conversations where ChatGPT participates as an active collaborator, offering itinerary planning, renovation ideas, restaurant suggestions, report outlining and other assistance. Users start a group by tapping the people icon, can add up to twenty participants, and must set up a profile for each member. The chat interface includes controls for inviting others, muting or removing participants (except the creator), and automatically limits sensitive content for under‑18 users. Powered by GPT‑5.1 Auto, the system selects models based on prompts and has been trained to manage conversational flow, responding when mentioned by name. OpenAI says it will refine the feature based on early‑user feedback before a broader rollout. Read more →

SoftBank and OpenAI have launched a 50-50 joint venture called SB OAI Japan to localize and sell OpenAI's enterprise AI technologies to Japanese companies. The partnership’s first customer is SoftBank itself, which will deploy the new "Crystal intelligence" packaged solution across its businesses. SoftBank reports that all its employees are actively using AI and that it has created 2.5 million custom ChatGPT instances for internal use. The joint venture aims to combine OpenAI’s enterprise offerings with SoftBank’s local implementation and support, helping Japanese firms boost productivity and management efficiency. Read more →

Japan’s government has formally asked OpenAI to stop using Japanese manga and anime artwork in its AI models, citing concerns over copyright infringement. The request follows backlash against OpenAI’s video app Sora, which quickly became populated with AI‑generated content that the Cabinet Office says violates the country’s cultural treasures. Officials, including Minoru Kiuchi, warned that manga and anime are “irreplaceable treasures,” and the Cabinet Office has demanded OpenAI cease the infringing behavior. OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman has acknowledged the company’s debt to Japan’s creative output, while the firm faces criticism over its previous opt‑out policy for copyright holders. Read more →

Japan’s government has asked OpenAI to stop using copyrighted anime and manga in its Sora video‑generation tool, labeling the content “irreplaceable treasures.” The request was made by a cabinet minister overseeing AI and intellectual property after numerous Sora‑generated clips replicated well‑known Japanese franchises. OpenAI has previously offered studios a way to opt out of training on their material, but the Japanese authorities are seeking clearer enforcement to protect the nation’s cultural assets. The move highlights ongoing tensions between AI innovation and copyright protection. Read more →

Meta announced that its Llama suite of artificial‑intelligence models is now available to a broader set of governments, including France, Germany, Italy, Japan and South Korea, as well as organizations linked to the European Union and NATO. The rollout follows earlier deployments for the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Meta says governments can fine‑tune the models with their own sensitive data, host them in secure environments, and run them on‑device for specific national‑security use cases. The company highlights the open‑source nature of Llama as a key factor that lets officials download and deploy the technology without routing data through third‑party providers. Read more →