Previewing GPT-5.6 Sol: A Next-Generation Model

My take: OpenAI launched in limited preview its new GPT-5.6 family: Sol (flagship, $5 input/$30 output per million tokens), Terra (mid-tier, 2x cheaper than GPT-5.5), and Luna (fastest and most affordable). For now, access is limited to roughly 20 partners individually approved by the US government, which is unprecedented in the history of model launches. Sol already tops Terminal-Bench 2.1, a benchmark testing command-line workflows that require real planning and tool use. It also debuts an ultra mode that deploys sub-agents for complex tasks. It ships with OpenAI's most robust safety stack to date, with special reinforcements against high-risk cyber requests. Bottom line: this model is a beast, it comes with access keys supervised by Washington, and it sets the template for how the next frontier models will launch. It is not just capabilities improving; it is also who decides who gets them.