The much-anticipated summer release of OpenAI's open AI model has encountered yet another delay, with CEO Sam Altman announcing a postponement for further safety testing. Initially scheduled for release next week, the model's launch is now on hold indefinitely as the company seeks to ensure its safety and review high-risk areas. Altman expressed the need for additional time, stating, "We need time to run additional safety tests and review high-risk areas. We are not yet sure how long it will take us."
This decision reflects OpenAI's commitment to responsible AI development, acknowledging the irreversible nature of releasing AI model weights. Altman emphasized, "While we trust the community will build great things with this model, once weights are out, they can’t be pulled back. This is new for us and we want to get it right."
The open AI model's release is a significant event, especially with the expected launch of GPT-5, another major milestone for OpenAI. Unlike GPT-5, the open model will be freely available for developers to download and run locally, showcasing OpenAI's leadership in Silicon Valley's AI landscape amidst competition from xAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic.
The delay implies a longer wait for developers eager to experiment with OpenAI's first open model in years. Reports suggest that the model will possess reasoning capabilities akin to OpenAI's o-series models and aims to be a best-in-class open model. However, the ecosystem has become more competitive with the launch of Moonshot AI's Kimi K2, a one-trillion-parameter model that surpasses OpenAI's GPT-4.1 on several benchmarks.
In June, during the initial delay announcement, Altman hinted at an "unexpected and quite amazing" achievement but did not provide details. Aidan Clark, OpenAI's VP of research leading the open model team, echoed the company's high standards for the open source model, stating, "Capability wise, we think the model is phenomenal — but our bar for an open source model is high and we think we need some more time to make sure we’re releasing a model we’re proud of along every axis."
Speculations about the open AI model's ability to connect with OpenAI's cloud-hosted AI models for complex queries have been discussed, but it remains uncertain if these features will be included in the final release. OpenAI's cautious approach highlights the importance of safety and quality in AI development, as they strive to release a model that meets their high expectations and contributes positively to the AI community.