OpenAI has released its most powerful GPT-5.6 models (Sol, Terra, and Luna) but only to trusted partners and organizations following a U.S. government request for limited rollout. PCWorld reports that the flagship Sol model directly competes with Anthropic's restricted Fable and Mythos models, featuring enhanced layered safeguards against misuse. A wider public release remains uncertain due to regulatory concerns about the models' advanced capabilities and potential security implications. The U.S. government ban on Anthropic's powerful Fable and Mythos models has everybody spooked. That's why it's a little surprising that OpenAI, Anthropic's biggest rival, is slowly rolling out its latest and most powerful GPT models.

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OpenAI Has New AI Models. The White House asked OpenAI to delay the rollout of its GPT-5.6 AI models, two weeks after Anthropic had to take its most advanced AI models offline. OpenAI is delaying the public release of its next generation of AI models, GPT-5.6, at the request of Trump's White House, the company confirmed on Friday. OpenAI said it would first share the models with a small set of customers, which will be preapproved by the US government. It will then work with the administration to slowly expand access.

OpenAI updated its GPT-5.5 Instant model with enhanced intent understanding and better ability to follow complex instructions and user clarifications. PCWorld reports the update includes improved location data usage for more effective local business and product searches. This minor release focuses on making AI interactions more intuitive, though its real-world impact requires further observation. Earlier this week, OpenAI announced via release notes that it has updated its most widely used AI model: GPT-5.5 Instant. According to the company, GPT-5.5 Instant should now be better at understanding the underlying intent of a question and keeping track of context across multiple messages.

It's a stretch to think that the continent can build a top-tier model, but it has an advantage: Donald Trump. Emmanuel Macron, president of France, discussed AI's risks at the G7 Summit. Earlier this month I attended Vivatech, a huge tech conference in Paris. One fear dominated the discussions: the prospect of ending up stuck using American AI, trained on American values. While the US and China are locked in an AI arms race, France and Germany, which consider their engineering talent second to none, feel boxed out.

OpenAI had been working with the US government over a preview of the GPT 5.6 model. OpenAI had been working with the US government over a preview of the GPT 5.6 model. Sam Altman announces limited preview of GPT 5.6 in move that echoes launch of Anthropic's Mythos OpenAI is staggering the release of its latest AI model after a request from the US government, in a move echoing the launch of Anthropic's Mythos product. Sam Altman, the chief executive of the company behind ChatGPT, told staff this week that GPT 5.6 would be released in a limited preview to a small group of partners, according to the tech publication The Information. Altman said the federal government had asked for a staggered release.

Plus: The Trump administration has asked OpenAI to limit its next model release. Scientists are trying to figure out why. It's been hot in London this week. A dangerous heat wave has hit Western Europe. On Wednesday, the UK recorded its highest ever June temperature at 36.1 C (about 97 F). But as the weather app on my phone confirmed, it 39 C. Much of Western Europe is suffering, bringing awful consequences for agriculture, infrastructure, and the health system.

PCWorld advocates for using AI as a collaborative writing tool that provides critical feedback to improve drafts, rather than relying on it for complete rewrites. The article addresses growing concerns about AI job displacement, highlighting initiatives like Raise US that focus on worker retraining and strategic collaboration with AI. This approach matters because it helps writers and professionals enhance their skills while maintaining human creativity and job security in an AI-driven world. AI is making us fearful for our jobs, and rightly so. It's a snap to ask ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini to, say, write a news story about technology, source it, and publish it, all in a matter of seconds.

OpenAI unveiled its first custom inference chip, built with Broadcom and called 'Jalapeño,' signaling the U.S.-China AI competition has shifted to controlling critical infrastructure.

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