OpenAI expands AI lineup with GPT-5.6 after delayed public launch

OpenAI will publicly launch its most capable artificial intelligence model, GPT-5.6, on Thursday after delaying the release last month at the request of the US government, as concerns grow over the potential misuse of advanced AI systems for national security purposes.

The delay came amid heightened scrutiny of frontier AI models by US authorities, who have expressed concerns that increasingly capable systems could be exploited by foreign governments or military organisations.

According to an Axios report, the Trump administration approved a broad public launch of GPT-5.6 after additional testing and meetings between OpenAI and US government officials.

Government scrutiny shapes AI model releases

The United States and China remain locked in a race to develop increasingly advanced artificial intelligence models.

Washington has increased oversight of advanced AI model releases to identify potential risks, amid concerns that the technology could be misused by military or intelligence agencies in China, Russia or other countries.

At the same time, Chinese authorities have reportedly held meetings with leading domestic technology companies to discuss potentially restricting overseas access to China's most advanced AI models, including systems that have not yet been released.

The growing focus on national security has increasingly influenced how frontier AI models are developed, tested and deployed.

OpenAI expands GPT-5.6 lineup

Ahead of the public launch, OpenAI limited access to GPT-5.6 to a small group of vetted partners whose details were shared with authorities.

The ChatGPT developer said in a post on X late Tuesday that it will launch GPT-5.6 Sol, alongside lower-cost Terra and Luna models.

The launch comes as competition among major AI developers continues to intensify.

Elon Musk said in a post on X on Wednesday that his company was making its flagship AI model, Grok 4.5, available to the public.

Anthropic faced earlier export restrictions

OpenAI's launch follows a similar episode involving rival Anthropic.

The company had abruptly disabled access to 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.

Those restrictions were partially lifted last week after Anthropic implemented additional safeguards.

However, while Washington has eased export controls on Anthropic's Fable model, Mythos, designed for cybersecurity professionals, remains available only to certain trusted US organisations.

The executive order establishes a voluntary review framework

Earlier in June, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a voluntary framework that allows AI developers to submit "covered frontier models" to the US government for up to 30 days before releasing them to trusted partners.

The framework reflects growing government efforts to assess the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems before they become widely available.

The launch of GPT-5.6 comes as governments on both sides of the US-China technology rivalry continue to balance the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence with concerns over national security, cybersecurity and access to the world's most capable AI models.