OpenAI's GPT-5.6 to launch publicly this week after US government approval

The US Commerce Department has approved the full public release of OpenAI's next-generation AI model GPT-5.6. The company is expected to roll out the service to general users this week after completing additional government consultations.

Reuters, citing Axios, reported Wednesday that the Commerce Department had cleared GPT-5.6 for release. Sources familiar with the matter said OpenAI is expected to launch the model broadly this week once it completes further testing and discussions with US government officials.

The safety review was conducted by the AI Safety and Innovation Center, an arm of the Commerce Department.

OpenAI had offered GPT-5.6 on a limited basis last month to government-approved organizations only, saying at the time that a phased rollout was not its preferred approach.

The release follows an executive order on AI that President Donald Trump signed last month.

The order establishes a voluntary pre-screening framework under which AI developers must provide frontier models — advanced AI systems above a certain capability threshold — to the US government for up to 30 days before releasing them to trusted external partners, allowing officials to assess safety risks.

GPT-5.6 is the second AI model to receive full-release approval under the framework. Anthropic's AI models Mythos and Fable previously cleared the same process.

The US government has been tightening oversight of cutting-edge AI models amid concerns that military and intelligence agencies in rival nations such as China and Russia could exploit the technology.

The case signals that the US government has moved into full operation of a case-by-case oversight system that pre-screens advanced AI models before market release and coordinates with companies in real time.