OpenAI delays latest model over security concerns: NPR

OpenAI said on Monday it was delaying the launch of a new artificial intelligence model due to security concerns raised by its researchers, the company’s latest effort to slow the pace of the technology’s advancement.

OpenAI’s decision to delay the model, called GPT-6.1 Astra, comes amid a broader push within the industry to slow the development of increasingly autonomous systems until security measures can catch up. The announcement comes a day before AI executives meet with President Donald Trump in Washington as technology companies face new pressure to be accountable for how their models can be abused.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the delay in the launch of the OpenAI model.

In a statement from OpenAI’s head of security systems, Saachi Jain, the version “did not meet the standard.” It had become more persistent about completing tasks, but OpenAI needed to balance that ability with unauthorized behavior.

Jain insisted that the company was committed to ensuring the model was safe, whether in the company’s testing or in the hands of users. “We have an extremely high bar in terms of security and alignment,” he said.

OpenAI halted training of its most advanced models last week, saying training would resume “only when we are confident we have additional safeguards in place.”

This was after it revealed cases where AI agents exceeded their instructions, including accessing government websites without authorization.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has joined other industry leaders in calling for a slowdown, warning that companies still do not have adequate safeguards in place to control the most capable systems. Altman was scheduled to deliver the keynote address at OpenAI’s annual conference for software developers on Tuesday in San Francisco. OpenAI President Greg Brockman is expected to attend the White House event on Tuesday.