OpenAI has released GPT-5.6, its latest family of AI models, alongside a new tool called ChatGPT Work aimed squarely at professional users.
According to MarkTechPost, GPT-5.6 reached general availability on July 9, 2026, and ships in three tiers rather than one model: Sol, Terra, and Luna. Pricing runs from Sol at $5/$30 per million tokens down to Luna at $1/$6. MarkTechPost reports that Sol scored 80 on the Artificial Analysis Coding Agent Index, 2.8 points above Anthropic's Claude Fable 5. Not everyone agrees on the ranking: NextBigFuture argues Sol is "worse than Fable but best of old generation."
CNET notes the models are available in ChatGPT, Codex, and the OpenAI API, rolling out globally. OpenAI also says GPT-5.6 is now the preferred model in Microsoft 365 Copilot across Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Chat, and Cowork.
The bigger story may be ChatGPT Work, powered by GPT-5.6. CNBC-TV18 reports it can gather context from apps, files, and workflows to produce finished documents, spreadsheets, presentations, reports, and websites. MSN quotes OpenAI saying the agent can "stay with complex projects for hours." The Information frames it as a rival to Anthropic's Claude Cowork and a desktop "superapp," while ZDNET says the release aims to beat Anthropic on price, speed, and productivity.
The launch came late. The New York Times and The Guardian report that the release was delayed after the U.S. government restricted the latest AI models over cybersecurity concerns; TechCrunch notes the new models promise improvements in that area.
Why it matters: the shift from AI as a chat assistant to AI as an autonomous "employee" that completes real work signals how quickly these tools are moving into everyday professional life—and how closely governments are now watching.