Trump Administration Asks OpenAI to Stagger GPT-5.6 Release for Security

The Trump administration, apprehensive of potential security issues, has reportedly asked OpenAI to stagger the release of its next big-ticket model, GPT-5.6.

The Information reported that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees Wednesday in a company Q&A that it would release GPT-5.6 in limited preview form — granting access only to a small group of enterprise customers — in compliance with a request from the federal government. During that preview period, the Trump administration itself would reportedly approve access for customers on a case-by-case basis.

It’s a more favorable deal than the Trump administration gave OpenAI rival Anthropic, which earlier this month received an ultimatum requiring it to suspend access to its Mythos 5 and Fable 5, models. The administration issued an export control directive that prohibited “foreign nationals” from accessing the technology (including any of Anthropic’s own employees who were not US citizens). The seemingly heavy-handed approach to AI regulation, after promises from the Trump administration that it would take a “speed wins” approach to the technology and encourage an American AI exports program, raised alarm bells across the tech industry.

Now, some of those concerns seem to be coming to pass — and in a decidedly uneven way, depending on the company.