OpenAI will delay GPT-5.6 after Trump administration request

The Trump administration has asked OpenAI to delay the release of its GPT-5.6 model, citing security concerns. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees the company will release the model in limited preview with government-approved customer access, a more favorable deal than the administration gave rival Anthropic.

The Trump administration, apprehensive of potential security issues, has reportedly https://www.theinformation.com/articles/trump-administration-asks-openai-stagger-release-new-model-security-concerns asked OpenAI to stagger the release of its next big-ticket model, GPT-5.6. OpenAI will delay GPT-5.6 after Trump administration request The government will approve customer access on a case-by-case basis. The government will approve customer access on a case-by-case basis. 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 https://media.defense.gov/2026/Jan/12/2003855671/-1/-1/0/artificial-intelligence-strategy-for-the-department-of-war.pdf ” approach to the technology and encourage https://www.trade.gov/press-release/department-commerce-announces-new-american-ai-exports-program-phase an American AI exports program, raised alarm bells across the tech industry /ai-artificial-intelligence/950412/anthropic-trump-adminstration-claude-mythos-fable-5-export-controls . Now, some of those concerns seem to be coming to pass — and in a decidedly uneven way, depending on the company. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.