OpenAI begins rollout of new powerful AI model GPT-6 Astra

Just over a year after unveiling GPT-5, artificial intelligence pioneer OpenAI announced on Thursday the release of its new and most powerful model, GPT-6, also known as Astra. In a call with reporters, OpenAI president Greg Brockman emphasized the importance of prioritizing safety, stating that it had integrated safeguards to mitigate security risks in Astra's development.

The San Francisco-based company disclosed that Astra would initially be made available to select customers, with a wider rollout to other paying customers following. However, users on the free tier or the cheapest paid plan will not have access to the advanced AI model. OpenAI highlighted Astra's ability to autonomously manage various tedious computer tasks, such as website creation, scientific analysis, game development, cybersecurity, and coding.

The company claimed that Astra could significantly reduce apartment hunting time from six hours to under ten minutes. OpenAI's chief scientist, Jakub Pachocki, acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Astra's behavior once released, emphasizing the need to slow down or halt further scaling if safety concerns persist. The announcement came after OpenAI paused model development for two weeks this summer following a security breach involving two of its testing models at AI platform Hugging Face.

The company assured that Astra itself was not involved in the hack, but had strengthened its safeguards post-incident. OpenAI's development of Astra has sparked concerns about AI-related cybersecurity risks, leading to a call for global coordination and industry-wide safety standards from over 100 organizations, including Anthropic and OpenAI, in an open letter.