OpenAI is planning to ‘stagger’ the release of its latest AI model following instructions from the Donald Trump government. The Sam Altman-led company has been gearing up for the launch of ChatGPT 5.6 in the coming weeks — an updated version of its flagship AI chatbot. The development also comes days after the US administration forced Anthropic to disable its advanced Fable and Mythos models for all foreigners.
The update also comes amid reports that OpenAI is debating the possibility of delaying its public debut until next year. A growing number of AI entrepreneurs are also turning towards what they see as the next frontier: “world models” that teach AI systems, and sometimes robots, how to react in a physical environment.
What we know about the staggered release of GPT5.6
According to a Reuters report, the US government has asked OpenAI to stagger its launch of GPT5.6 over security concerns. A separate report by The Information indicates that the change came at the request of the Office of the National Cyber Director and the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
The Information also reported that the new model would be released in a limited preview to select partners — “with the government “approving access customer by customer during this preview period”. The update was reportedly conveyed to staffers by CEO Altman during an interactive session on Wednesday. Details remain scarce about who might be included in this list of ‘enterprise customers’ or how the Trump admin plans to regulate access in the future.
Will this affect the OpenAI IPO?
According to a New York Yimes report, OpenAI is also considering holding off on its public debut until next year. The AI startup confidentially filed for a US initial public offering earlier this month — targeting a valuation of up to $1 trillion.
Company advisers had reportedly presented executives with the option of waiting until 2027 to go public with a $1 trillion valuation, or lower the targeted valuation for a quicker listing. New York Times reported that CEO Sam Altman responded that any change to the trillion-dollar valuation was a non-starter.
Anthropic spars with Trump govt
The deal is somewhat more favourable than the conditions handed to rival Anthropic by the US government. The latter had received mere hours to suspend access to its Mythos 5 and Fable 5 models as the Trump admin issued an export control directive earlier this month. The two advanced AI programs remain disabled for all “foreign nationals” under US government orders — including any of Anthropic’s own employees who were not US citizens.
Ties between the US government and Anthropic have been rocky ever since the company refused to allow the military to use its AI models for domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons systems. The Trump government retaliated by putting it on a national security blacklist. It later ordered a pause on its advanced models — something that reportedly led to the NSA losing access to Mythos. Anthropic has taken both AI models completely offline for all customers (regardless of citizenship) to comply with the sweeping curbs.
A recent Associated Press report also indicates that Mythos had identified vulnerabilities in highly sensitive U.S. government computer systems during a testing exercise. The restricted program alongside Washington’s intelligence agencies had reportedly been designed to find and fix vulnerabilities in critical software before attackers could exploit them. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia referred to the testing in a congressional hearing this month — saying he had been informed by National Security Agency chief Joshua Rudd that Mythos “broke into almost all of our classified systems, not in weeks, but in hours.”
US in talks with India for Anthropic Fable rollout
According to an ANI report, the United States and India are engaged in high-level, “sensitive” discussions regarding the release of advanced artificial intelligence models. This includes the Mythos and Fable models developed by Anthropic. India had briefly received access to both after project Glasswing was expanded days before the US crackdown.
US Under Secretary of Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg confirmed the ongoing dialogue, emphasising that both nations are prioritising a secure and collaborative approach to frontier AI technology. He told ANI that the US was committed to a “gradual, measured approach.” Helberg highlighted the complex nature of these negotiations, noting that while the discussions involve “sensitive national security” matters that cannot be fully detailed for public consumption, the two countries are in strong alignment.