OpenAI Wins GPT-5.6 Approval As Trump Clears Wider AI Rollout

OpenAI will release GPT-5.6 more widely after the Donald Trump administration cleared the advanced AI model for broader access.

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GPT-5.6 Rollout

OpenAI said GPT-5.6 will move into broader release on Thursday after receiving clearance from the Trump administration, following a limited rollout that began in June.

The company had agreed last month to restrict early access to a small group of vetted partners at the government’s request, leaving most users without access even after the model’s official unveiling.

The Commerce Department clearance would lift those limits and allow wider use of the model, though the department has not disclosed the scope of the added testing or the officials involved in the review.

The decision follows a period of tighter federal scrutiny of frontier AI models, including the release and later recall of Anthropic’s Fable 5, which was pulled back at the administration’s direction.

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OpenAI Washington

The approval also comes as OpenAI pursues a closer relationship with federal officials during Trump’s second term.

Chief executive Sam Altman has floated a proposal that would give the U.S. government a 5% equity stake in the company, according to the Financial Times.

Altman has discussed the idea with senior administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, as Washington weighs a deeper role in advanced AI development.

Trump has signaled interest in arrangements that give the public a stake in private technology companies. “There are concepts where pieces could be given to the American public, where the American public essentially becomes a partner,” he said.

The GPT-5.6 clearance also follows a recent reversal on access to Anthropic models under the Mythos umbrella, after the administration lifted export controls last month.

That shift matters because it suggests U.S. policy on frontier AI access remains unsettled, even as officials treat the strongest models as strategic assets.

In recent months, federal decisions have moved between restriction and clearance, with OpenAI and Anthropic both facing direct government involvement in how their most advanced systems reach users.

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