Axios confirmed the Commerce Department has approved OpenAI to broadly release
its GPT-5.6 model. OpenAI expects to roll out GPT-5.6 this week after completing
additional testing and meetings with government officials. Testing was carried
out by the Commerce Department’s AI Standards and Innovation Center, and OpenAI
left technical staff in Washington to answer questions. Last month OpenAI was
limited to phased releases to government-approved entities, a restriction
similar to that placed on Anthropic’s Mythos and Fable models; OpenAI said
phased release was not its preferred approach. Companies and regulators are
operating ahead of final model-release standards required by President Trump’s
recent AI executive order.
