Overview
- OpenAI said it is expanding public preview access to the GPT‑5.6 family this Thursday after U.S. agencies ran additional evaluations under the new voluntary review regime and reportedly authorized a wider release.
- The GPT‑5.6 line includes Sol as the company’s most capable model, Terra as a mid‑tier lower‑cost option, and Luna as the fastest, cheapest variant, with published per‑million‑token pricing for input and output.
- The White House executive order requires developers to offer federal review of frontier models up to 30 days before release, and the Commerce Department and expert teams carried out tests that informed the decision on GPT‑5.6.
- OpenAI simultaneously launched GPT‑Live (GPT‑Live‑1 and GPT‑Live‑1 mini), a full‑duplex voice system that can listen and speak at once, delegate hard reasoning tasks to stronger models, and apply real‑time monitoring and safety controls.
- The moves tighten the link between product rollout, safety testing and national security oversight; users can expect faster voice interactions but industry players warn routine government reviews could slow global access and competition with rivals such as Anthropic and Google.