OpenAI wins government approval to launch GPT-5.6 publicly on July 9 after weeks of testing

OpenAI gets permission to roll out GPT-5.6 to the public on July 9 - Engadget

OpenAI will publicly launch all three of GPT-5.6's variants -- Sol, Luna and Terra -- this Thursday, July 9, the company has announced on X. "We're expanding preview access globally now," it added. The company initially made the new model series available to a "small group of trusted partners" in late June, due to a request from the Trump administration. If you'll recall, President Trump had signed an AI cybersecurity order in early June, which asks companies to voluntarily present their most powerful models for government review 30 days before releasing them to the public. For GPT-5.6's initial release, it was only rolled out to select government-approved entities. "We don't believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default," OpenAI said back then, but it added that it was complying because it was the best way to ensure that it can release its latest model series to the public soon. Sure enough, it will not take OpenAI 30 days before making GPT-5.6 more broadly available. According to Axios, the Trump administration gave OpenAI permission for a wider release after putting the model through additional testing and conducting more meetings with the company. The Department of Commerce's Center for AI Standards and Innovation conducted those additional tests, with the company sending technical experts to DC so they can immediately address potential questions and concerns. GPT-5.6 comes in three variants, with Sol being the company's strongest model yet. Terra is for everyday use and promises a similar performance to GPT‑5.5 despite being twice as cheap, while Luna is the company's lowest cost model. The Sol variant costs $5 per million input tokens and $30 per million output, whereas Terra costs $2.50 per million input tokens and $15 for output and Luna costs $1 per million input and $6 for output. Anthropic also had to block all access to its latest Mythos cybersecurity and Fable models to ensure compliance when the government ordered it to prevent all foreign nationals from being able to use them. The company has since received the government's permission to redeploy the more exclusive Mythos 5 model and, eventually Fable 5, its counterpart that brings many of its capabilities to the public.

OpenAI wins US clearance for a broad GPT-5.6 rollout after weeks of government testing

The Commerce Department has signed off on a wide release, ending a restricted preview that had held the model to about 20 vetted partners. OpenAI has been cleared to release its most advanced model widely, after the US government signed off on a broader rollout of GPT-5.6 that had been held back for weeks under Washington's new oversight regime for frontier AI. Until now the model had been available only through a restricted preview to about 20 partners whose names were individually approved by the US government. That arrangement, the first of its kind for an American frontier model, is what the wider release now supersedes. The sign-off followed additional testing by the Commerce Department's Center for AI Standards and Innovation, the body set up to vet advanced systems. OpenAI sent technical experts to Washington to answer the agency's questions, according to Axios. GPT-5.6 is a three-tier family rather than a single model. Sol is the flagship, Terra a lower-cost mid-tier option, and Luna the fastest and cheapest of the three. OpenAI has described Sol as strong at coding, biology and cybersecurity, and paired it with a "max reasoning effort" mode that gives the model more time to work through hard problems. Those same capabilities, particularly in biology and cyber, are part of why the government wanted a closer look before a wide release. The tiering is a commercial choice as much as a technical one. Terra is aimed at everyday enterprise workloads where cost matters more than raw capability, while Luna is built for high-volume tasks that need speed above all, a split that lets OpenAI charge very different prices across the same family. The preview it now supersedes was unusually tight. For weeks GPT-5.6 was available only to a short list of organisations whose identities OpenAI had shared with the government, the first time an American lab had gated a frontier model behind a state-approved roster. The review sits inside a framework the Trump administration established on 2 June, which introduced a voluntary pre-release check for the most capable models. The GPT-5.6 case went further than that, moving from voluntary review to a government-managed access list, a step OpenAI had agreed to only after being asked to slow the launch. OpenAI has made clear it is uneasy with the precedent. The company said it does not believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default, while agreeing to take part this time. The discomfort is not hard to understand. A government that can gate a launch can also stop one, a power the administration has already used elsewhere in the sector by ordering Anthropic to shut down two models. For OpenAI, the commercial stakes of the delay were real. Every week that GPT-5.6 stayed inside a 20-partner preview was a week rivals could court the enterprise customers it wanted to reach with the new tiers. The company now expects to widen access to GPT-5.6 within days, building on the base it laid with GPT-5.5 earlier in the year. It has said all three tiers will become generally available in the coming weeks, though it has not fixed a public date. OpenAI is not the only lab inside the new regime. The same framework covers its rivals, which means the way this rollout has gone is likely to shape how the next frontier model from any US company reaches the public. What the episode establishes is less a product timeline than a template. For the first time, a leading US lab has released a frontier model on the government's schedule rather than its own, and both sides now have to decide whether that was a one-off or the shape of things to come.

Scoop: Trump administration lifts restrictions on OpenAI's GPT 5.6

Why it matters: The government and the world's most advanced AI companies are negotiating how people get access to powerful technologies case-by-case, in real time. Driving the news: OpenAI expects to do a wide release of GPT 5.6 this week following additional testing and meetings between the company and government officials. * Testing was done by the Center for AI Standards and Innovation within the Department of Commerce, with OpenAI sending technical experts who have remained in D.C. to address any questions that arise, the source said. Context: OpenAI was only able to do a staggered release of 5.6 of government-approved entities last month, a move which echoed restrictions placed on Anthropic for its Mythos and Fable models. * OpenAI said at the time that the staggered rollout was not its preferred way to release new models. * The company also said AI firms and the government are operating before more concrete standards for releasing such models -- called for in Trump's latest AI executive order -- have been finalized. This story is breaking news. Please check for updates.

OpenAI to launch new model after US freeze

San Francisco (United States) (AFP) - ChatGPT maker OpenAI said its latest powerful artificial intelligence model series will be released to the public on Thursday, as the US government reportedly approved a broader launch. The company's new GPT-5.6 offerings and other cutting-edge AI models, including Anthropic's Mythos series, have drawn concern over their supposedly unprecedented ability to identify weaknesses in code that hackers can exploit. That has raised national security fears, and OpenAI said in late June it had shared preview access to GPT-5.6 with a limited group of trusted US-based partners at Washington's request. Large language models are the technology that underpins chatbots and many other AI tools, with their capacity to crunch through colossal amounts of digital data. The GPT-5.6 series has three tiers: Sol, the company's new flagship model; Terra, a mid-range version for everyday work; and Luna, a fast, low-cost option. "GPT-5.6 Sol, along with Terra and Luna, will launch publicly this Thursday. We're expanding preview access globally now," OpenAI said in an X post Tuesday, without giving further details. US news outlet Axios reported, citing a source familiar with the situation, that the Trump administration had given the company the green light for a broad launch of GPT-5.6, following technical testing and meetings between the company and government officials. AFP has contacted OpenAI, the White House and the US Department of Commerce for comment on the Axios report. It follows a similar story at OpenAI's archrival Anthropic, the startup behind the Claude chatbot. Last week, Anthropic said it would begin restoring access to its most powerful AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, after Washington lifted a restriction on where they could be released. Before Mythos's arrival, President Donald Trump's administration wanted fewer rules on AI companies, not more, hoping that would help the US beat China in the AI race. The government is now drawing up criteria for which AI models would fall under new security restrictions, in accordance with an executive order from the White House. OpenAI said in June that "we don't believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default" as it "keeps the best tools" from users, businesses and others who need them. The company added that it was working with Washington "to develop the cyber Executive Order framework and a repeatable process for future model releases." Once broadly available, Terra will be priced at half the cost of its predecessor GPT-5.5, OpenAI has said, as it seeks to lock in customers amid fierce competition from Anthropic and Google. Both OpenAI and Anthropic have filed confidential IPO documents with US regulators and are targeting public listings at valuations approaching $1 trillion, raising the commercial stakes of the AI arms race between them.

OpenAI GPT-5.6 rollout begins July 9: New features, models and everything else to know

OpenAI will launch its GPT-5.6 model family starting July ninth. These new models offer improved reasoning and coding capabilities for users. GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra, and Luna cater to diverse user needs and tasks. Enhanced safety features and cybersecurity improvements are also included in the release. OpenAI is set to begin rolling out its latest family of AI models -- GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra and Luna -- from July 9, bringing smarter reasoning, better coding abilities, faster responses and stronger safety features to ChatGPT users and developers. The three models are designed for different kinds of users, ranging from those who need the most advanced AI for research and programming to those looking for a faster, lower-cost assistant for everyday tasks. Also Read: OpenAI says powerful new model to launch publicly on Thursday Three AI models, three different purposes Instead of releasing just one model, OpenAI stated in its June blog post that it has introduced a family of three. GPT-5.6 Sol is the most powerful version, built for complex tasks like research, software development and solving multi-step problems. GPT-5.6 Terra is aimed at everyday work -- writing, analysing documents, brainstorming ideas and coding. OpenAI says it delivers similar performance to GPT-5.5 but at about half the cost. GPT-5.6 Luna is the fastest and cheapest model, making it suitable for quick conversations, summaries and routine tasks. GPT 5.6 can "think" longer before answering According to OpenAI, one of the biggest changes is that GPT-5.6 can spend more time working through difficult questions instead of rushing to an answer. For example, if you're asking it to analyse a long report, debug complicated code or solve a multi-step problem, the model can reason through the task more carefully before responding. OpenAI has also introduced an "Ultra" mode, where multiple AI agents work together behind the scenes on complex requests. It is similar to assigning different parts of a project to different teammates before combining the results. Better for programmers and more helpful for everyone else While GPT-5.6 includes major improvements for software developers, those upgrades could also benefit regular users. The models are said to be better at understanding long instructions, spotting mistakes, fixing errors and handling complicated workflows. That means they should be more reliable whether you're writing code, analysing spreadsheets, planning projects or drafting documents. OpenAI says GPT-5.6 is also better at analysing scientific data, particularly in biology and genetics. Also Read: ETtech Explainer: OpenAI is halving inference cost and what this means Stronger at finding security flaws but with tighter guardrails Another major upgrade is cybersecurity. OpenAI says GPT-5.6 is better at helping developers identify software vulnerabilities, review code and suggest fixes before attackers can exploit them. At the same time, the company says it has strengthened safeguards to prevent the AI from being misused for cyberattacks. According to OpenAI, the models are designed to assist defensive security work while refusing requests that could enable harmful activity. More safety checks built in OpenAI adds that GPT-5.6 comes with its most advanced safety system yet. The company says it spent weeks stress-testing the models and used both human experts and AI systems to look for weaknesses before release. If a request appears risky, the model can pause, review the context and refuse to generate harmful responses. Rollout begins July 9 The new models will start rolling out from July 9, with access expanding gradually across ChatGPT, Codex and OpenAI's API.

GPT-5.6: OpenAI says powerful new model to launch publicly on Thursday

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said its latest powerful artificial intelligence model series will be released to the public on Thursday, as the US government reportedly approved a broader launch. It follows a similar story at OpenAI's archrival Anthropic, which last week said it would begin restoring access globally to its most powerful AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, after the US government lifted a restriction on where they could be released. bur-kaf/tc ChatGPT maker OpenAI said its latest powerful artificial intelligence model series will be released to the public on Thursday, as the US government reportedly approved a broader launch. The company's new offering GPT-5.6 and other cutting-edge AI models, including Anthropic's Mythos series, have drawn concern over their supposedly unprecedented ability to identify software vulnerabilities -- weaknesses in code that hackers can exploit. OpenAI said in late June it had shared preview access to GPT-5.6 with a limited group of US-only partners at Washington's request. The GPT-5.6 series comprises three new models: Sol, the company's new flagship; Terra, a mid-range model for everyday work; and Luna, a fast, low-cost option. "GPT-5.6 Sol, along with Terra and Luna, will launch publicly this Thursday. We're expanding preview access globally now," the company said in an X post Tuesday, without giving further details. US news outlet Axios reported Tuesday, citing a source familiar with the situation, that the Trump administration had given OpenAI the green light for a broad launch of GPT-5.6, following testing and meetings between the company and government officials. AFP has contacted OpenAI, the White House and the US Department of Commerce for comment on the Axios report. It follows a similar story at OpenAI's archrival Anthropic, which last week said it would begin restoring access globally to its most powerful AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, after the US government lifted a restriction on where they could be released.

OpenAI GPT-5.6: OpenAI gets US approval for broad GPT-5.6 rollout

OpenAI, White House, and the U.S. Department of Commerce did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The U.S. Department of Commerce has approved a broad launch of OpenAI's advanced GPT 5.6 model, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing ⁠a person ⁠familiar with the matter. OpenAI expects to do a wide release of GPT 5.6 this week following additional testing and meetings between the ⁠company and government officials, the report said. Reuters could not ⁠immediately verify the report. OpenAI, White House, and the U.S. Department of Commerce did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Last month, OpenAI said it was delaying a full public launch of GPT‑5.6 at the U.S. ⁠government's request, limiting the AI model's initial access to a small group of vetted partners whose details were shared with the authorities.

Trump administration clears broad rollout of OpenAI's GPT-5.6, Axios reports By Investing.com

Investing.com-- The Trump administration has lifted restrictions on the release of OpenAI's latest artificial intelligence model, clearing the way for a broader rollout after weeks of government review, Axios reported on Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Commerce has approved a wide launch of GPT-5.6, with OpenAI expecting to release the model later this week, according to Axios, which cited a source familiar with the matter. Get real-time updates on market-moving news with InvestigPro The approval follows additional testing and meetings between OpenAI and U.S. officials. Axios said the testing was conducted by the Commerce Department's Center for AI Standards and Innovation, with OpenAI technical experts remaining in Washington to address questions during the review. Last month, the Trump administration had required OpenAI to stagger the release of GPT-5.6, limiting initial access to government-approved entities. OpenAI said at the time that the phased rollout was not its preferred approach and noted that the government was still developing formal standards for releasing advanced AI models. Axios noted that rival Anthropic recently faced similar restrictions. The Commerce Department banned foreign access to Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models in June, forcing their withdrawal from the market. The restriction on Fable was lifted last week, allowing customer access to resume.

OpenAI confirms GPT 5.6 Sol, Terra and Luna rollout after US govt review

OpenAI will make its GPT 5.6 AI models available to everyone this Thursday. The new lineup includes three models: GPT 5.6 Sol, Terra and Luna. The announcement comes weeks after the company introduced the models in a limited preview for a small group of trusted partners. At the time, OpenAI said it chose a limited release because the US government requested an early preview before the wider launch. The company has now confirmed that the public rollout will begin this week. According to OpenAI, Sol is the company's most powerful model yet, Terra is built for everyday use, and Luna focuses on speed and affordability. The company also claims that all three models come with its "most robust safeguards to date." OpenAI GPT 5.6 capabilities OpenAI describes GPT 5.6 Sol as its "strongest model" so far and also says it is the company's "most capable model yet for cybersecurity." OpenAI says Sol delivers better agentic capabilities across coding, biology and cybersecurity tasks. It is designed to help users identify and fix security vulnerabilities without crossing its internal safety boundaries. For users looking for a more balanced option, Terra offers performance similar to GPT 5.5 at half the price. On the other hand, Luna is aimed at users who need fast responses at a lower price. Also read: Meta breaks silence on Instagram child safety row, says offending ads and accounts have been removed When the GPT 5.6 series was first announced, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman explained why the company was taking a gradual approach to the rollout. He said the gradual release was a "quite reasonable" approach for increasingly capable AI systems, but added that this "isn't quite the process that we think is optimal." Altman also said OpenAI is working with the US government to create a more transparent and reliable process so future AI models can be released to users more quickly. Also read: Perplexity working on an AI coding tool to compete with Claude Code: Report The company also made it clear that it does not want government previews to become the normal way of launching AI models. OpenAI said, "It keeps the best tools from users, developers, enterprises, cyber defenders, and global partners who need them. We are taking this short-term step because we believe it is the strongest path to broader availability in the coming weeks, while we work with the Administration to develop the cyber Executive Order framework and a repeatable process for future model releases."