Scoop: Trump administration lifts restrictions on OpenAI's GPT 5.6

Driving the news: OpenAI's green light for the wide release of GPT 5.6 comes after additional testing and meetings between the company and government officials.

• Testing was done by the Center for AI Standards and Innovation within the Department of Commerce, with OpenAI sending technical experts who have remained in D.C. to address potential questions, the source said.

Context: The Trump administration pushed OpenAI to conduct a staggered release of GPT-5.6 last month, limiting initial access to government-approved entities.

• OpenAI said at the time that the staggered rollout was not its preferred way to release new models.
• The company also said AI firms and the government are operating before more concrete standards for releasing such models — called for in President Trump's latest AI executive order — have been finalized.

The big picture: Both OpenAI and Anthropic have recently had to limit the release of their most powerful new models.

• The Commerce Department in June banned foreigners from having access to Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models, essentially forcing their withdrawal from the market.
• The ban on Fable was lifted last week, with customer access restored one day later.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details after OpenAI confirmed GPT-5.6 will become available on Thursday.