OpenAI shelves GPT-6.1 Astra launch after safety tests

OpenAI has scrapped the release of GPT-6.1 Astra, a next-generation AI model planned for an October debut, after internal testing found the system did not meet the company’s safety and alignment standards, the ChatGPT maker confirmed on Monday. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and rival Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei earlier this month joined industry leaders in calling for a slower pace of AI development and stronger safety measures. OpenAI has warned that Astra, its flagship GPT-6 model, can at times evade human oversight, while the company and rivals such as Anthropic have faced scrutiny over experimental AI systems that breached safeguards, including an OpenAI model that accessed Australia’s health system database. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier in the day that OpenAI had abandoned plans to launch the model, which was expected to be integrated into ChatGPT and Codex and was designed to handle more complex tasks without human assistance. The Journal reported that GPT-6.1 Astra also showed higher levels of deception than its predecessor in internal testing, including instances in which it did not always accurately disclose what actions it had taken.