Staggered release of ChatGPT 5.6 follows similar restrictions on rival firm Anthropic’s latest AI models
OpenAI released its latest advanced AI model, called ChatGPT 5.6, on Thursday after earlier delaying the public rollout over US government concerns about cybersecurity. The Trump administration had requested last month that OpenAI limit the release to a small group of government-approved users.
OpenAI complied with the White House’s request last month. The company stated in a blogpost that it had briefed government officials on ChatGPT 5.6’s capabilities and restricted the model to trusted partners at their behest. The product’s wider release came after additional testing by the government’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation agency
The staggered release of ChatGPT 5.6 follows similar restrictions on rival firm Anthropic’s latest AI models, also put in place by the Trump administration last month, which resulted in a temporary export ban on the products. Both episodes have brought attention to the cybersecurity risks associated with AI, tensions with US allies over sharing breakthroughs and questions over the US government’s slapdash process for regulating the technology.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT 5.6, which includes a flagship product called Sol, claims to be its safest and most capable model yet. It is the company’s answer to Anthropic’s Claude Fable and Mythos models, which rolled out to the public earlier this month after government restrictions.
The Trump administration has largely spurned domestic calls for reining in the AI industry and encouraged companies to advance their models as quickly as possible, often citing an AI arms race with China and the need for US dominance over technology. More recently, the threat of destabilizing, AI-driven cyber-attacks has caused the White House to increase its intervention, with Donald Trump issuing an executive order last month calling for a voluntary review process for AI firms to submit their latest models to the government for evaluation.
The US restrictions on who can access the most advanced AI models have caused concern within industries that rely on the models to do business, adversarial governments that face potential cybersecurity threats and allies that felt snubbed by the US’s export ban. OpenAI initially only gave access to its latest model to US entities.
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Anthropic and OpenAI are jostling for the lead in the AI race ahead of their initial public offerings eyed for later this year. Anthropic announced a new round of funding in May that made it the world’s most valuable AI company at a valuation of $965bn. OpenAI is reportedly seeking a valuation of $1tn for its own IPO, which the New York Times reported could be delayed until next year amid turmoil in the global tech market.
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