OpenAI is limiting the release of its newest AI models to a “small group of trusted partners” at the request of the U.S. government, the company announced on Friday.
The next-generation GPT-5.6 lineup includes three models: Sol, the flagship model; Terra, a more balanced option for everyday use; and Luna, a faster, lower-cost alternative. While Sol is OpenAI’s most powerful model to date, the Trump administration has restricted the release of all three. OpenAI stated that the preview is limited to partners “whose participation has been shared with the government.”
The administration’s request comes amid growing pressure on AI companies to restrict access to their most advanced systems. Earlier this year, after Anthropic released its most powerful public model, Fable 5, the administration ordered the company to remove access for any foreign nationals, prompting Anthropic to take the model offline entirely.
This incident has raised questions about the extent of government authority over AI model releases. Dean Ball, a former White House AI adviser and soon-to-be OpenAI employee, argues that President Trump’s recent executive order—which asks certain AI companies to voluntarily submit their most advanced models for government review up to 30 days before release—has created a de facto involuntary licensing regime for frontier AI. This has led to heavy-handed restrictions that could stifle innovation.
Ball contends that the problem is compounded when the government lacks clearly defined safety standards, which could result in endless launch delays. Such delays, he warns, might not only cede ground to China in the AI race but also jeopardize the billions of dollars being invested in AI infrastructure buildouts.
Although OpenAI complied with the administration’s request this time, the company made it clear that it was not satisfied with the arrangement. In a Friday blog post, OpenAI stated: “We don’t believe this kind of government access process should become the long-term default. It keeps the best tools from users, developers, enterprises, cyber defenders, and global partners who need them.”
OpenAI described the preview as a “short-term step” that will pave the way for broader availability in the coming weeks. The company is working with the administration to develop a new executive order framework on cybersecurity, as well as a “repeatable process for future model releases.”
GPT-5.6 Sol Specs
OpenAI says GPT-5.6 Sol is its strongest model yet, featuring improved agentic capabilities in coding, biology, and cybersecurity. Sol introduces a “max” reasoning effort mode and an “ultra” mode that uses coordinated subagents to solve highly complex tasks—a feature that significantly increases token usage.
According to OpenAI, GPT-5.6 excels on several benchmarks, including slightly outperforming Anthropic’s Claude Mythos 5 in coding workflows—a model that the Trump administration also effectively banned this month. OpenAI claims that GPT-5.6 Sol is competitive with the Mythos preview while using only a third of the output tokens.
via TechCrunch AI