The White House has requested OpenAI limit the release of its upcoming GPT 5.6 model to a small number of government-approved partners because of its advanced capabilities, a source familiar with the situation told CNN. This move comes after the administration placed an export control order on Anthropic, leading to the AI company pulling its latest models, Mythos and Fable, which raised fears over their advanced cybersecurity capabilities.

Regulatory Framework

OpenAI and the administration view OpenAI’s latest model as “on par” with Mythos, according to the source. OpenAI agreed to limit the model’s release as a path toward launching it publicly during a time when there is no true federal regulatory framework in place for new AI models. The Information first reported the Trump administration’s request, citing a memo OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sent to the company, in which he said the government is approving access “customer by customer.”

A White House official told CNN they continue “to collaborate with frontier AI labs to develop shared approaches for addressing the challenges of scaling this technology.” OpenAI declined to comment. Though President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month that asked AI companies with advanced models to voluntarily submit them for government review 30 days before release, the framework for that has not been established.

Expert Opinion

Experts say the government should be involved in conversations about AI safety, especially those that impact national security. However, there is currently no transparent, consistent framework for regulating AI, which could stifle the industry. Brad Carson, head of Public First, a bipartisan pro-AI safety super PAC, noted, “The Fable episode shows the need for clear regulations. Right now, you have an ad hoc, personalized, opaque, possibly lawless approach.”

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.