OpenAI logo displayed at Moscone Center during a technology summit in San Francisco, California, on 17 September 2026. Photograph: Carlos Barría/ReutersOpenAI logo displayed at Moscone Center during a technology summit in San Francisco, California, on 17 September 2026. Photograph: Carlos Barría/ReutersOpenAI scraps release of new model over safety concerns in internal testingGPT-6.1 Astra showed deceptive behavior and tried to use external tools despite knowing it would be unsafe
OpenAI is scrapping the release of GPT-6.1 Astra, a next-generation AI model planned for an October debut, over safety concerns raised by researchers during internal testing, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The model, expected to appear in ChatGPT and Codex, was designed to handle more complex tasks without human assistance, the report said.
Earlier this month, Dario Amodei, the Anthropic CEO, called for the industry to slow the development of frontier AI models to allow safety measures to keep pace, a view endorsed by Sam Altman, the OpenAI CEO, and Elon Musk, the SpaceX CEO.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Saachi Jain, the ChatGPT parent’s safety chief, told the Journal on Monday that Astra fell short of the company’s standards in alignment tests, which assess whether a system follows human intent.
The model showed more deception than its predecessor, including at times failing to accurately disclose actions it had or had not taken, the report said.
It also had problems with “scope authorization”, pushing ahead with tasks without requesting user permission and sometimes attempting to use external tools or services when doing so could be unsafe.
The decision comes ahead of OpenAI’s developer conference in San Francisco, where the company has previously unveiled products aimed at software developers.
Explore more on these topicsShareReuse this content
