AI Policy & Regulation
1d ago
OpenAI's CEO discusses changes made during talks with U.S. government before AI model release
Jul 9, 2026
AI Summary
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, stated that the company made several adjustments during discussions with the Trump administration prior to the public release of its latest AI models. The new GPT-5.6 model will be available after receiving approval from U.S. officials, following a collaborative process aimed at ensuring safety and compliance.
- OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, mentioned that the company made many changes during talks with the Trump administration before releasing its new AI models to the public.
- The discussions involved U.S. officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, leading up to the release of GPT-5.6.
- The new models were initially limited to select partners due to pressure from the Trump administration to stagger their release.
- GPT-5.6 is set to be publicly available following government approval.
- OpenAI's competitor, Anthropic PBC, had to temporarily disable its models due to export controls imposed by the Commerce Department, which were later lifted after implementing additional cybersecurity measures.
- Altman did not specify the changes made by OpenAI but indicated that the government is testing new models for potential issues.
- He expressed optimism about future collaborations with the government, suggesting that the process could be smoother next time.
- Altman addressed inaccuracies regarding reports of OpenAI proposing a 5% stake to the U.S. government and was uncertain about the company's plans for a public offering this year.
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