The U.S. Department of Commerce has cleared the way for OpenAI to proceed with a broad release of its GPT-5.6 models, a move that follows a delay prompted by U.S. government requests over national security concerns. OpenAI expects the rollout to begin as early as this week. Reuters reported that OpenAI will publicly launch GPT-5.6, its most advanced AI model, on Thursday, after a delay last month.
OpenAI announced late Tuesday that its GPT-5.6 Sol, Terra, and Luna models will launch on Thursday, making them available globally. The company had previewed these models within the past month, stating that GPT-5.6 Sol was competitive with Anthropic's Mythos Preview on the ExploitBench cybersecurity benchmark.
The State's Hand in Corporate AI
The delay in the rollout came after U.S. government requests, citing national security concerns. Washington has increased its scrutiny of advanced AI model releases, aiming to identify potential threats from misuse by military or intelligence establishments in countries like China and Russia. OpenAI had initially limited GPT-5.6 access to a small group of vetted partners, sharing their details with authorities.
The Trump administration had previously asked the company to stagger its release late last month due to the model's advanced capabilities. A White House official stated Wednesday that the administration did not grant OpenAI a “green light,” asserting that “no such permission is required or granted.” The official clarified that companies work with the administration on a voluntary basis, releasing models as they see fit.
An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed that government approval wasn't technically necessary. However, the company actively collaborated with the administration on safety testing and reviews before widespread deployment of GPT-5.6. The White House signaled its comfort with OpenAI’s plan for a broader release once testing concluded. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s visit with the White House and lawmakers occurred 1 month ago, with meetings and testing continuing for over a month. OpenAI stated 2 weeks ago that it would comply with the administration’s request for a staggered release, though it added, “we don’t believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default.” The company views this short-term step as a path to broader availability while working with the Administration to develop a cyber Executive Order framework.
The Race for AI Profits
This release unfolds amid intensifying competition among AI developers. These corporations are racing to improve model performance, cut costs, and expand capabilities for enterprise customers. This drive fuels a wave of new systems and reasoning models across the industry.
Billionaire Elon Musk, whose SpaceXAI rivals Anthropic and OpenAI, announced Wednesday that his company was making its leading model Grok 4.5 available to the public. Meanwhile, Chinese developers are reshaping the economics of AI. They deliver increasingly capable models at a fraction of the cost. The U.S. government's tight grip on domestic frontier AI is creating an unintended opportunity for these Chinese competitors. They are leveraging the pause to gain ground with more accessible, cost-effective models. Zhipu, trading as Knowledge Atlas Technology JSC, launched its GLM 5.2 model last month, which is free to download, fine-tune, and run on an enterprise's own servers.