The U.S. government is exerting unprecedented control over the development and release of advanced artificial intelligence models. According to reports from The Information and The New York Times, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has intervened in the rollout of OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-5.6, effectively halting its general release.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman informed staff via a memo that the administration will now approve access to the model on a “customer by customer” basis. This decision followed direct pressure from Secretary Lutnick, who advised against a staggered release until federal agencies could formally vet the technology. This intervention follows a similar federal crackdown on Anthropic, whose “Fable 5” and “Mythos 5” models were taken offline after Lutnick cited national security concerns and export law mandates.
The administration maintains these measures are essential to national security. However, industry observers note that the lack of transparent regulatory criteria is creating significant uncertainty. While the White House previously encouraged a hands-off approach to foster innovation, the recent executive order requiring a 30-day pre-release review period has evolved into a more restrictive, hands-on oversight model.
As OpenAI reportedly considers delaying its IPO due to market volatility and regulatory pressure, experts warn that these inconsistent interventions may disadvantage U.S. firms compared to international competitors who are not subject to similar “bureaucratically labyrinthine” processes.