The Trump administration has approved a broad rollout of OpenAI’s advanced GPT-5.6 model. OpenAI has announced that the wider release will happen on Thursday, July 8, after additional testing and government meetings.
AI models have been under increased scrutiny of late, with Anthropic’s Fable 5 released and then recalled at the direction of the Trump administration.
A Staggered Rollout Reaches Its Next Stage
OpenAI agreed to a staggered GPT-5.6 release last month at the government’s request, limiting initial access to a small group of vetted partners. The company later confirmed that most users still lacked access even after its official unveiling in June.
The reported Commerce Department clearance would lift those restrictions and open the model to a wider audience by Thursday. The scope of the additional testing and the officials involved in the review have not been disclosed.
Approval Follows Warming Ties With Washington
The clearance arrives as OpenAI pursues closer ties with the administration. Chief executive Sam Altman has floated a 5% equity stake proposal for the US government.
Altman has shared the idea with senior administration officials since the start of Trump’s second term. Those officials reportedly include Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, per the Financial Times.
Trump has signaled openness to such arrangements.
“There are concepts where pieces could be given to the American public, where the American public essentially becomes a partner,” the President said.
The administration made a similar reversal last month. It lifted export controls on Anthropic models, under the Mythos umbrella, reflecting a broader pattern of shifting federal decisions on frontier AI access.
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