OpenAI will delay GPT-5.6 after Trump administration request

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly told employees that GPT-5.6 will launch first as a limited preview for a small group of enterprise customers. The rollout follows a Trump administration request, with federal officials expected to approve customer access on a case-by-case basis during the preview.

The move shows how frontier AI releases are becoming subject to government oversight before broad commercial deployment. If this model becomes a precedent, major AI labs may face slower launches and more direct federal involvement in deciding which customers can access advanced systems.