OpenAI is set to publicly launch its most advanced AI model, GPT-5.6, on Thursday, after delaying the release last month at the request of the US government due to national security concerns. The launch comes as the United States and China race to develop cutting-edge AI systems that experts warn could accelerate sophisticated cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.
Background of the Delay
The US government requested OpenAI to postpone the release of GPT-5.6 over fears that powerful AI models could be misused by military or intelligence agencies in China, Russia, or other countries. Washington has increased scrutiny of advanced AI model releases to identify potential threats. Similarly, Chinese authorities have held meetings with top tech firms about potentially restricting overseas access to China's most advanced AI models, including those yet to be released.
Details of the Launch
Axios broke the news of the OpenAI launch, reporting that the Trump administration approved a broad launch of GPT-5.6 after additional testing and meetings between the company and government officials. The White House and the US Department of Commerce did not respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular business hours. OpenAI had previously limited GPT-5.6 access to a small group of vetted partners whose details were shared with the authorities.
The ChatGPT-owner announced on X late Tuesday that it will launch GPT-5.6 Sol, along with lower-cost Terra and Luna models. Billionaire Elon Musk, whose SpaceX AI rivals Anthropic and OpenAI, said on Wednesday that his company was also making its leading model Grok 4.5 available to the public.
Competitor Developments
OpenAI competitor Anthropic had abruptly disabled its most advanced AI models — Mythos 5 and Fable 5 — for all users after the US government's June 12 export control order over national security concerns. The curbs were lifted last week after Anthropic implemented certain safeguards. While Washington has lifted export controls for Anthropic's Fable model, Mythos — designed for cybersecurity professionals — is still only available to some "trusted" US organisations.
National Security Concerns
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order establishing a voluntary framework under which AI developers could provide "covered frontier models" to the US government for up to 30 days before releasing them to trusted partners. In China, authorities are worried about the potential for Mythos to exploit software vulnerabilities and that the US might deploy the model against Chinese interests. Anthropic has warned that it was "probably impossible" to make any AI model fully robust to jailbreaks.
Also Read: Chinese open-source AI model GLM-5.2 creates buzz in US tech circles.
