OpenAI stages GPT-5.6 limited preview at U.S. government request, approving access customer-by-customer

OpenAI is staging a limited preview of its GPT-5.6 model at the U.S. government's request, with access approved on a customer-by-customer basis. CEO Sam Altman announced the arrangement in an internal memo, according to a report by The Information published by The Decoder on June 26, 2026. The U.S. federal government asked OpenAI to initially limit access to a small group of partners. Altman explained that the government would approve access on a customer by customer basis during the preview phase and said he hopes for a broader release a couple of weeks later, assuming everything goes smoothly. The push for a phased release came out of talks with the Office of the National Cyber Director and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Altman wrote that this is not OpenAI's preferred long term model. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also contacted the company after it shared its plans with senior officials.