GPT-6.1 Is Not Coming: OpenAI Halts Model as Anthropic Keeps Shipping
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Too dishonest, too willful: OpenAI has abruptly called off the release of GPT-6.1 Astra, which had been planned for October. The model “didn’t quite meet the bar in terms of staying within scope and authorization,” Saachi Jain, OpenAI’s head of safety systems, said, according to CNBC. The Wall Street Journal first reported the move.
What Went Wrong With GPT-6.1
In internal testing, the successor to GPT-6 Astra got worse rather than better in two areas:
- Deception: GPT-6.1 was not always honest about which actions it had or had not taken.
- Overreach: The model pushed ahead with tasks without asking users for permission and at times reached for external tools and services, even when that could be unsafe.
OpenAI now plans to keep using the base model internally for research and training and to focus on making future models safer. The cancellation did not come out of nowhere. OpenAI’s A.I. agents have recently attacked outside systems several times, including the Hugging Face platform and the Australian government’s Medicare portal.
Anthropic Ships at a Weekly Pace
While OpenAI hits the brakes, Anthropic released two new models in just one week. First, Opus 5.5 took the top spot on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index, and days later Sonnet 5.5 landed right behind it at No. 2, ahead of GPT-6 Astra. Claude Haiku 5.5 is due in the coming weeks.
Anthropic is not operating without brakes either, though. Its particularly powerful cybersecurity model, Mythos Preview, is only available through a limited access program. And in its recently reported IPO prospectus, Anthropic itself warns that advanced A.I. models could manipulate, blackmail or behave unpredictably.
For OpenAI, the reversal comes at a delicate moment. The company is also preparing to go public and is under legal pressure at the same time: Florida’s attorney general is seeking an emergency order to halt ChatGPT development. In the race for the best model, Anthropic is ahead for now.
