OpenAI Delays Highly Anticipated Open AI Model Release for Further Safety Review
OpenAI is postponing the release of its new open AI model indefinitely, marking the second delay this summer as the company prioritizes additional safety testing. The move comes as competition intensifies in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence landscape.
The decision, announced Friday by CEO Sam Altman via a post on X, underscores the growing scrutiny surrounding the responsible development and deployment of increasingly powerful AI technologies. “We need time to run additional safety tests and review high-risk areas. We are not yet sure how long it will take us,” Altman stated. “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.”
A Pivotal Moment for OpenAI
The forthcoming open model was positioned as a key release for OpenAI, alongside the expected launch of GPT-5. Unlike GPT-5, this model is designed to be freely downloadable and runnable locally by developers, fostering broader innovation and accessibility. Through these dual launches, OpenAI aims to reaffirm its position as a leader in Silicon Valley’s AI sector—a challenge complicated by substantial investments from rivals like xAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic.
The delay will frustrate developers eager to experiment with OpenAI’s first open model in years. Reports indicate the model is anticipated to possess reasoning capabilities comparable to the company’s o-series models, with a goal of establishing a “best-in-class” standard among open-source alternatives.
Rising Competition in the Open AI Space
The delay arrives amidst a surge in competition within the open AI model ecosystem. Earlier Friday, Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI unveiled Kimi K2, a one trillion parameter open AI model that reportedly surpasses OpenAI’s GPT-4.1 on several agentic-coding benchmarks. This development highlights the accelerating pace of innovation and the increasing global competition in the field.
OpenAI first announced delays regarding the open model in June, noting at the time that the company had achieved an “unexpected and quite amazing” breakthrough, though details remained scarce.
“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,” explained Aidan Clark, OpenAI’s VP of research and leader of the open model team, in a separate post on X.
Potential Integration with Cloud Services
Company leaders have reportedly explored the possibility of enabling the open AI model to connect with OpenAI’s cloud-hosted AI models for handling more complex tasks. However, it remains uncertain whether this functionality will be included in the final release.
The indefinite delay reflects a cautious approach from OpenAI, prioritizing safety and responsible AI development in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
