OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly told staff that GPT-5.6 will be released first in a limited preview to a small group of partners after a federal government request. In a memo, Altman said the government would be “approving access customer by customer during this preview period.” The request reportedly came after OpenAI worked with government agencies over the past month to preview the model, including the Office of the National Cyber Director and the Office of Science and Technology Policy.