OpenAI GPT-5.6 Sol: US Gov-Gated AI Launch

OpenAI has launched GPT-5.6 Sol, its most capable AI model, with a first-ever US government-gated rollout. Only about 20 partners, individually approved by the US government, can access it. This marks the first time an American AI company has released a frontier model under a government-managed access list. Here's the thing: GPT-5.6 Sol scored 96.7% on internal cybersecurity benchmarks. OpenAI states it helps defenders fix vulnerabilities more than executing attacks. The company pushed back on the permanence of this restricted access, saying it shouldn't become the default. The model suite includes Sol, designed for reasoning, coding, and agentic work. Terra is a mid-tier option, and Luna is optimized for speed and affordability. Pricing for Sol is $5 per million input tokens and $30 per million output tokens. This restricted launch sets a new precedent for how advanced AI models are introduced.