OpenAI's chief rival, Anthropic, recently restored access to its latest models following a weeks-long clash with the government.

After the administration initially requested restriction of access to the models, a US government statement now says that no permission for their release was ever required.

OpenAI will launch its GPT-5.6 models globally this Thursday. Release by July 31, 2026 is at 98.8% YES.

OpenAI expects to release GPT 5.6 more widely this week following additional testing and meetings with U.S. government officials