OpenAI to launch GPT-5.6 publicly on July 9 following government review

The Trump administration has reportedly given OpenAI the go-ahead for the broad public rollout of its advanced GPT-5.6 model, a source familiar with the matter told Axios. OpenAI announced late Tuesday that its flagship Sol model, along with the lower-tier Terra and Luna variants, will launch publicly on Thursday.

The decision to release GPT-5.6 follows additional testing and meetings between the company and US government officials. The testing was conducted by the Center for AI Standards and Innovation within the Department of Commerce. Last month, the Trump administration had reportedly urged OpenAI to adopt a staggered rollout for GPT-5.6, initially limiting access to government-approved entities before a wider public release.

GPT-5.6 is available in three variants, with Sol serving as OpenAI's most capable model to date. Terra is designed for everyday workloads, offering performance comparable to GPT-5.5 at roughly half the cost, while Luna is the company's most affordable option. Pricing starts at $5 per million input tokens and $30 per million output tokens for Sol. Terra costs $2.50 per million input tokens and $15 per million output tokens, while Luna is priced at $1 per million input tokens and $6 per million output tokens.

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Anthropic export controls

Anthropic was also forced to suspend access to its latest Mythos cybersecurity model and Fable AI model after the US government ordered the company to block access for all foreign nationals in order to comply with export restrictions. The company has since received approval to restore access to the more exclusive Mythos 5 model and plans to eventually relaunch Fable 5, its public-facing counterpart that brings many of the same capabilities to a broader audience.

According to the Axios report, both OpenAI and Anthropic have recently had to restrict the release of their most powerful AI models. In June, the Department of Commerce barred foreign nationals from accessing Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models, effectively forcing their withdrawal from the market. The restrictions on Fable were lifted last week, with customer access resuming a day later.

However, a White House official disputed claims that the Trump administration had given OpenAI a formal "green light" or approval to launch GPT-5.6, arguing that no such authorization is required.

"No such permission is granted or required," the official said in a statement, adding that decisions regarding the timing and scope of AI model releases rest entirely with the companies themselves. The official also pointed to President Donald Trump's June 2 executive order, which bars mandatory federal licensing requirements for AI models and states that any consultations with government experts are voluntary.