Handle Multiple Requests in the Same ChatGPT Conversation

Feature Proposal: Handle Multiple Requests in the Same ChatGPT Conversation

To the OpenAI Team
October 8, 2026

Please consider a feature that lets users submit separate, independent requests while ChatGPT is still working on an earlier request, and receive each result in the same conversation as soon as it is ready.

The problem

When I ask ChatGPT to analyze documents or conduct research, the response can take some time. While waiting, I may think of another question or task that I would like to submit without losing the flow of the conversation.

Opening another chat is an option, but it can mean specifying the same materials and background again, switching between chats, and searching for the results.

How I would like it to work

While ChatGPT is processing the first request, I can add a second and a third. Each request runs independently, and the results appear as they are completed.

For example:

  • Request A: Analyze a large set of Excel files — 3 minutes.

  • Request B: Compare contracts — 8 minutes.

  • Request C: Draft an email — 20 seconds.

In this example, the results would arrive in the order C, A, then B.

These times are illustrative. Actual processing times would depend on the requests, system load, and other conditions.

Making the feature easy to use

  • Label each result with its request name so users can clearly identify what it answers.

  • Let users choose between adding information to an ongoing request and starting a new, independent request.

  • Allow requests to use the shared conversation history, settings, and relevant materials.

  • Let users select a specific result when asking a follow-up question, and cancel each request separately.

Expected benefits and suggested first step

This could reduce the need to wait for a long task before handling a short one. It could also reduce chat switching, repeated explanations, and the effort needed to find completed results.

I suggest starting with a small trial that allows two or three requests at a time, focused on tasks such as drafting text and reviewing documents. Before expanding the feature, the trial could check whether it reduces user effort compared with separate chats and whether users can reliably match results to their requests.

Additional Information

The following notes explain the proposal’s scope and what could be checked during a trial.

The main point of this proposal

Users should be able to add new, independent requests whenever they arise, even after a long task has started. They should not need to specify every task together at the beginning.

This also serves a different purpose from asking several AI models to answer the same question. The goal here is to handle different requests within one conversation.

Relationship to existing features

OpenAI’s developer tools already provide ways to run multiple processes in parallel. Other software also offers related features that run separate tasks and return results within the same chat. This proposal is about making that kind of capability easy for ChatGPT users to access. [1] [2]

The additional benefit over using separate chats has not yet been tested. In the public documentation reviewed on October 8, 2026, I could not confirm whether the full behavior described here was already available in the ChatGPT interface.

Avoiding confusion and duplicate work

Each request should use the background information and relevant materials available when it is submitted. Information from an unrelated request added later should not be mixed into it automatically.

If a request depends on an earlier result, it should wait until that result is available before starting.

For an initial trial, I suggest limiting the feature to reading, analysis, and drafting. Editing original files or taking actions such as sending emails could be left outside the trial. The number of requests that can run at once and the applicable usage limits should also be clear.

How to evaluate the benefits

I suggest comparing the same work across two approaches: using separate chats and using multiple requests within one chat.

The comparison could look at:

  • Waiting time.

  • How often users switch between chats.

  • How often users repeat background information.

  • The effort needed to find results.

  • Mistakes in matching results to requests.

  • Usage allowance consumed.

The benefits and the level of user demand have not yet been established through testing.

Main reference materials

[1] OpenAI developer documentation on running conversations in parallel.

[2] ductor documentation on separate sessions and background tasks within the same chat.

[3] ChatGPT Projects documentation on branching a conversation into a separate chat.

Documentation reviewed on October 8, 2026.

This already exists. Try a prompt like:

Spawn a sub agent for each of these tasks in parallel:

* What are the top 10 most popular dog breeds in 2026 ?
* List the timezones used by each country, countries sorted by most timezones to least
* Generate a "Hello World" program in javascript

Thank you for your reply and for sharing the sub-agent approach.

I understand that ChatGPT can process multiple tasks in parallel when they are provided together in a single prompt.

However, my proposal focuses on a slightly different interaction model.

For example:

  1. I submit Task A, which takes several minutes to complete.

  2. While Task A is still running, I submit a new, independent Task B.

  3. I can then submit Task C without waiting for either task.

  4. Each task runs independently, and its response appears in the same conversation as soon as it finishes, regardless of submission order.

The key difference is that the user does not need to define all tasks in advance.

I would also like the tasks to share relevant conversation context while maintaining independent execution, so that users do not need to switch between separate chats or repeatedly explain the same background.

The goal is not simply parallel processing within a single prompt, but asynchronous, user-driven task submission within one continuous conversation.

Does the existing sub-agent functionality support this interaction model as well?

Thank you again for your suggestion.