Trump Approves GPT-5.6 Launch: US Gets OpenAI Stake

The Trump administration has approved the full launch of OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 language model. This release is set for Thursday, July 8, 2026. Previously, access to the model was restricted, even after its official presentation. OpenAI had agreed to a phased rollout at the US government’s request last month. What's interesting is that this approval came after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman proposed giving the US government a 5% stake in the company. Altman has been discussing this idea with officials like Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick since the start of Trump’s second term. President Trump has signaled his openness to such proposals, stating concepts where "pieces could be given to the American public, where the American public essentially becomes a partner." This approach was also seen when export restrictions were lifted on Anthropic’s Mythos series models. The bottom line is that the administration appears willing to approve frontier AI launches if it participates in risk assessment, and potentially takes a stake in the developer.