OpenAI logo displayed at Moscone Center during a technology summit in San Francisco, California, on 17 September 2026. Photograph: Carlos Barría/ReutersView image in fullscreenOpenAI 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 unsafeOpenAI 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 topicsOpenAIAI (artificial intelligence)Sam AltmanComputingnewsShareReuse this content