The White House now determines which customers can access new AI models

The Trump administration has now asked OpenAI to stagger the rollout of its newest model, GPT-5.6, rather than release it broadly, The Information reported, a request Reuters later confirmed.

CEO Sam Altman told staff the government would be “approving access customer by customer” during the preview period.

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Frontier AI models are increasingly treated less like ordinary commercial software and more like a national security asset, something to be cleared, monitored, and occasionally pulled rather than simply regulated after release.

Two labs, two models, two ad hoc interventions inside a few weeks is no longer a coincidence. It is the default way Washington manages frontier AI launches right now, agency by agency, with no statute defining where the line sits.