OpenAI plans to stagger the release of its new AI model, ChatGPT 5.6, beginning with government-approved customers, according to a memo from CEO Sam Altman. Federal leaders will approve access to selected customers during this preview period, with a more general release anticipated a “couple of weeks later.” Altman stated in the memo that OpenAI prefers not to follow this approval model in the long term and aims to establish a sustainable approach in collaboration with the government for future releases.
Several federal agencies are directing this change, including the Office of the National Cyber Director and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, as well as involvement from Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The White House and the Office of the National Cyber Director did not respond to requests for comment regarding these developments.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring AI companies to engage in a voluntary federal review of powerful models before public release. The government plans to create a framework to standardize assessments of new AI models. In a related situation, OpenAI competitor Anthropic disabled access to two of its recent models following a federal directive that did not specify security concerns but indicated a desire to prevent foreign nationals from accessing its tools.
This recent directive and OpenAI’s adjusted rollout plans have generated confusion regarding the review process and the nature of voluntary participation in the federal review for AI models.
