OpenAI’s government chaperone

TL;DR: OpenAI is rolling out its upcoming GPT-5.6 model in phases—because the US government wants to vet it to ensure it’s safe, according to a report from the Information yesterday. It’s the government’s latest move to scrutinize the most capable models—and could be a preview of a slower era of AI that frustrates users and labs alike.

What happened: OpenAI is getting micromanaged. The federal government will reportedly be “approving access customer by customer” while GPT-5.6 remains in a preview limited to a small circle of partners, per recent comments CEO Sam Altman made in a company memo, which was reviewed by the Information.

It’s a far cry from the hands-off approach President Donald Trump took at the start of his second term—and it makes that “voluntary” review process from his AI oversight executive order look a little less optional.

OpenAI isn’t thrilled: “We’ve made clear to the US government that this is not our preferred long term model,” Altman reportedly wrote in the memo. And it’s not the only lab being “voluntold” what to do. Meta has faced pressure to submit its models for review, while Anthropic yanked Fable 5 and Mythos 5 two weeks ago under a Trump admin order to cut off access for all foreign nationals.

Move slow; don’t break things: The government is trying to pump the brakes on new model releases at a moment when AI companies are competing fiercely for customers—especially as they become more cost-conscious—and many are preparing for IPOs (though OpenAI’s could get postponed ‘til 2027.) And investors aren’t likely to be happy that the government can pull or stall these firms’ flagship products at will.

AI, interrupted: The slowdowns and disruptions aren’t just frustrating for labs, but for anyone who uses their AI—like the roughly 1 billion monthly active users ChatGPT now has. Meanwhile, the NSA was in the middle of testing Mythos when it got shut out along with everyone else. An AI legal startup even sued the government recently, claiming the loss of Fable did “immediate, irreparable, and existential” harm to its business.

Bottom line: AI companies have spent years warning that their increasingly advanced models could be dangerous. Now the government’s taking them at their word and tying releases up in red tape. —WK