The U.S. Department of Commerce has cleared OpenAI for a full-scale release of GPT-5.6, lifting previous constraints that limited deployment to a phased rollout for pre-approved government organizations. The decision followed safety testing at the AI Safety Institute and in-person consultations between OpenAI’s technical team and regulators in Washington.

OpenAI plans to open access to the model in the coming days. The company noted that the fragmented access was a necessary measure given the absence of unified industry standards, while security requirements from the latest administration executive order are still being finalized. Currently, approvals for large language models are handled on a case-by-case basis.

Axios: OpenAI cleared to release GPT-5.6 after US lifts restrictions