The Trump administration has asked OpenAI to stagger the release of its latest AI model, GPT 5.6, due to national security concerns, according to a memo from the company to its staff, as reported by The Information. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman informed employees during a Q&A session that the new model would initially be made available in a limited preview to a small group of partners.
According to Altman, the government will be "approving access customer by customer during this preview period" for GPT 5.6. This request for a staggered release stemmed from discussions with two key government agencies: the Office of the National Cyber Director and the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
This development follows a recent executive order signed by President Trump, which established a voluntary framework for AI companies to allow federal review of their models 30 days before public release. OpenAI has previously stated its compliance with this order, with George Osborne, Head of OpenAI for Countries, emphasizing the company's commitment to working with governments on safety and security issues. The order, while voluntary, aims to assess the advanced cyber capabilities of AI models and identify those designated as "covered frontier models," especially concerning potential risks like cyberattacks and disinformation. Other major AI developers like Google, Microsoft, and xAI have also agreed to pre-release reviews by the Commerce Department's Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI).
