OpenAI launched GPT-Live on Wednesday, a new family of voice models capable of listening and speaking simultaneously in real time, as the IPO-bound AI startup received U.S. government approval to roll out its most advanced model after a national security review delayed the release last month.
The company said it will roll out two versions of GPT-Live — GPT-Live-1 and GPT-Live-1 mini — to users globally on Wednesday. OpenAI will also publicly launch GPT-5.6, its most advanced AI model, on Thursday. The tech firm had limited GPT-5.6 access to vetted partners after the delay, and OpenAI had limited GPT-5.6 access to a small group of vetted partners whose details were shared with the authorities.
Government Scrutiny Over Advanced AI
Axios reported that the Trump administration approved a broad launch of GPT-5.6 after additional testing and meetings between the company and government officials. The White House and the U.S. Department of Commerce did not respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular business hours. OpenAI said in an X post late on Tuesday that the ChatGPT owner will launch its most capable GPT-5.6 Sol, along with the lower-cost Terra and Luna models.
Washington has increased scrutiny of advanced AI model releases to identify potential threats on concerns the technology could be misused by the military or the intelligence establishment in China, Russia and other countries. The United States and China are in a race to develop cutting-edge AI models the likes of which, experts have said, could dramatically accelerate sophisticated cyberattacks in sectors relying on complex, interconnected and often decades-old technology systems.
Pattern of Export Controls
OpenAI competitor Anthropic had abruptly disabled its most advanced AI models, Mythos 5 and Fable 5, for all users after the U.S. government's June 12 export control order over national security concerns. The curbs were lifted last week after Anthropic implemented certain safeguards. While Washington has lifted export controls for Anthropic's Fable model, Mythos, which is designed for cybersecurity professionals, is still only available to some "trusted" U.S. organizations.
In China, authorities are worried about the potential for Mythos to exploit software vulnerabilities and that the U.S. might deploy the model against Beijing's interests. Anthropic has warned it was "probably impossible" to make any AI model fully robust against jailbreaks. Chinese authorities have also held meetings with top tech firms about potentially restricting overseas access to China's most advanced AI models, including those yet to be released.
Industry Race Intensifies
OpenAI previewed the models in late June and touted improved agentic capabilities in coding, biology and cybersecurity. At the time, OpenAI said GPT-5.6 Sol was competitive with Anthropic's Mythos Preview on the ExploitBench cybersecurity benchmark. In May, OpenAI introduced three audio models for its developer platform, aiming to make voice-based software agents more conversational and capable of completing tasks in real time.
Billionaire Elon Musk, whose SpaceXAI rivals Anthropic and OpenAI, said on Wednesday his company was also making its leading model Grok 4.5 available to the public. Musk's AI startup xAI was acquired by SpaceX in February. He said in May that xAI would cease to exist as a separate company and would instead become SpaceXAI.
Why This Matters:
The pattern of government intervention in AI releases reveals a troubling gap between corporate innovation and democratic oversight. While national security concerns are legitimate, the ad hoc nature of these reviews — with different companies facing different restrictions and timelines — suggests regulatory frameworks haven't kept pace with the technology. The concentration of advanced AI capabilities in a handful of U.S. and Chinese firms raises questions about who benefits from these tools and who bears the risks. Workers in sectors vulnerable to AI-driven automation, public institutions relying on aging infrastructure, and countries without homegrown AI industries face exposure to systems designed without their input. The EU's AI Act offers a regulatory alternative emphasizing transparency and accountability, but Europe's dependence on American models means Brussels has limited leverage. As the U.S.-China AI race accelerates, the risk isn't just cyberattacks — it's that democratic societies cede control over transformative technology to unaccountable corporations and security agencies operating behind closed doors.