OpenAI Staggers GPT 5.6 Release Following US Government Request
Quick Look
- OpenAI is staggering the release of its GPT 5.6 AI model, initially to a limited group of partners, after a request from the US government.
- CEO Sam Altman stated the government would approve customer access, a move echoing Anthropic's Mythos release, which was later pulled.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The US government requested OpenAI to stagger the release of its GPT 5.6 model, approving customer access individually, a shift from previous deregulatory stances on AI. This follows a similar situation with Anthropic's Mythos model, which was later pulled due to government orders regarding foreign access.
OpenAI is staggering the release of its latest AI model after a request from the US government, in a move echoing the launch of Anthropic’s Mythos product.
Sam Altman, the chief executive of the company behind ChatGPT, told staff this week that GPT 5.6 would be released in a limited preview to a small group of partners, according to the tech publication The Information.
Altman said the federal government had asked for a staggered release. The CEO told staff in a memo that the government would be “approving access customer by customer during this preview period” for GPT 5.6 and that it would be released more generally “a couple of weeks later” if the process went well.
“We’ve made clear to the US government that this is not our preferred long term model, and will work with them and others in industry to achieve a more sustainable approach for future releases,” Altman said in the memo, obtained by The Information.
Anthropic, OpenAI’s close rival, had carried out a similar release programme for its Mythos model but has now pulled the technology entirely after the US government ordered the company to stop foreign nationals from accessing public versions of the model, which has powerful cyber-hacking capabilities.
OpenAI had been working with the US government over a preview of the model, which would be used to power OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot. The staggered release was requested after conversations with two government agencies: the Office of the National Cyber Director and the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
The Information reported that Donald Trump’s commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, had intervened against even a limited release, calling Altman to demand approvals from other agencies.
This month, the US president signed an executive order to create a voluntary framework for the federal government to vet powerful new AI models before they are released.
The order represents a shift from the White House’s previously deregulatory stance on AI. Last year, the vice-president, JD Vance, said “excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry”.
However, the White House’s stance has changed against a backdrop of rapidly improving model capabilities, including Mythos which has been described by the UK’s AI security body as a “step up” over previous cutting-edge models.
OpenAI has been approached for comment.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
GPT 5.6 will be released more generally a couple of weeks after the limited preview period.
Likely · Within weeks
OpenAI will work with the US government and others to achieve a more sustainable approach for future AI model releases.
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- How will the US government's approval process for GPT 5.6 unfold?
- What specific issues prompted the government's request for a staggered release?
- What "more sustainable approach" will OpenAI and the government pursue for future releases?
