OpenAI has rolled out a new ChatGPT feature that allows users to branch their conversations into multiple threads, making it easier to test different tones, styles, and approaches without altering the original chat.
The update, announced on Friday, September 5, works like creating a copy of an existing conversation. For example, a marketing team brainstorming ad campaigns can branch off the same chat to explore formal, casual, or humorous versions while keeping the initial discussion intact.
This option is now available to all users logged into the web version of ChatGPT. Previously, anyone wanting to try a different direction had to overwrite their conversation or start a new one, making experimentation less convenient. With branching, users can freely test what-if scenarios without losing context.
One user who identified as a software engineer wrote on X last month, “Let us branch off from chats at specific points without losing the node we branched off from, sometimes I want to pursue multiple possible branches to a conversation or sometimes I want to go on like a 1-3 side prompt conversation without it muddying the context of the original chat.”
Confirming the update, OpenAI posted, “By popular request: you can now branch conversations in ChatGPT, letting you more easily explore different directions without losing your original thread.”
How to use the branching feature
– Hover over any message in your ChatGPT conversation
– Click on ‘More Actions’
– Select ‘Branch in new chat’
The new thread will include all prior context up to the branching point, while the original conversation stays unchanged.
The feature has been well received online, with some users comparing it to Git, the version control system that lets developers create branches of code to test changes without affecting the main project.
A 2024 study highlighted that linear dialogue interfaces can increase cognitive strain as users repeatedly compare and copy content. It suggested that more flexible structures better serve brainstorming, layered tasks, and large projects, which this update aims to address.
OpenAI recently also revealed plans to launch an AI-powered jobs platform to rival LinkedIn. According to CEO Fidji Simo, the platform will use “AI to help find the perfect matches between what companies need and what workers can offer,” with support from companies, service firms, governments, and community organisations.
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