The US Trump administration has asked OpenAI to release its next-generation AI model "GPT-5.6" in stages rather than all at once, it emerged on June 25, 2026. Citing security concerns, the request comes roughly two weeks after rival Anthropic suspended access to its most capable models.
June 25, 2026 · Frontier AI Policy
US Government Tells OpenAI to Release GPT-5.6 in Stages
The Trump administration asked OpenAI to roll out its next flagship to trusted partners first, with access approved customer-by-customer — just two weeks after rival Anthropic was ordered to pull its most capable models entirely.
2 wks
Between the Anthropic order and the OpenAI request
1-by-1
Government approves GPT-5.6 access on a per-customer basis
Jul ~W2
Possible timing of a broader GPT-5.6 release
Two labs, two government interventions
OpenAI — GPT-5.6
Revealed June 25, 2026
Staggered, limited-preview request
Small group of trusted partners first
Access approved customer-by-customer
Anthropic — Mythos 5 / Fable 5
Around June 12–13, 2026
Ordered to block foreign-national access
Most advanced models placed under export controls
Temporarily disabled for all users
From planned launch to gated rollout
A government request reshaped how GPT-5.6 reaches the public.
PLANNED
Late-June 2026 full launch
→
GOV REQUEST
Limited preview first
→
NOW
Enterprise testing underway
→
NEXT
Broader release ~July W2
THE CASE FOR CONTROL
Treating frontier models as critical national-security technology — gating access "like weapons technology" to prevent leakage to countries such as China.
THE CONCERN
Abrupt shutdowns and case-by-case approval raise worries about arbitrariness, disruption and eroded trust — and how quickly access actually expands.
The open question
Under a government-approval regime, how fast — and how widely — will access to the most capable AI models actually expand?
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