OpenAI CEO stated that "many adjustments" were made to the latest model during negotiations with the US government.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that the company made "many adjustments" during consultations with the Trump administration before moving forward with the public release of its latest artificial intelligence model. Altman said in an interview on Thursday that in the weeks leading up to the full release of GPT-5.6, OpenAI had engaged in "collaborative and iterative communication" with senior U.S. officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Besent. Following the Trump administration's request for a phased release, GPT-5.6 was initially only available to select partners. After receiving approval from the U.S. government leadership, GPT-5.6 was scheduled to be opened to the public on Thursday. Altman did not disclose the specific adjustments made by OpenAI during the process but noted that the U.S. government was involved in testing the new model and identifying potential issues. "As long as the process is understandable, fair, and quick, then that's good," he said. "The government seems to really align with these goals. I expect that the next time we launch a new model, the whole process will be much smoother. We now understand this process and know how to collaborate better."