The Best Model OpenAI Ever Made, and You’re Not Allowed to Use It

2026-06-27 · Source: Artificial Intelligence in Plain English - Medium · Field: Technology & Digital — Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, Emerging Technologies & Innovation · Depth: Fundamental Awareness, quick

Summary

OpenAI previewed a new, highly capable model family on June 26, featuring three tiers named after the Sun, Earth, and Moon. This system is touted as OpenAI's most powerful yet, demonstrating enhanced performance in coding and biology, and includes a cybersecurity model that matches Anthropic's Mythos system while using significantly fewer resources. The model family offers "max" and "ultra" modes, comes in three distinct sizes, and has clear pricing, with a faster version slated for availability on Cerebras in July. However, despite these advanced capabilities and detailed specifications, the core message is its restricted access; almost nobody reading the announcement will be able to use it, making it unavailable to the general public.

Key takeaway

For AI Product Managers evaluating future model integrations, understand that not all announced advancements will be immediately available for your projects. OpenAI's new model family, despite its impressive capabilities in coding and cybersecurity, highlights a trend of restricted access for cutting-edge systems. You should factor potential access limitations into your strategic planning and explore alternative, publicly available models to avoid project delays.

Key insights

OpenAI unveiled its most capable model family to date, but it remains largely inaccessible to the public.

Principles

• Powerful AI systems may face restricted public access.

Topics

• OpenAI Models
• AI Model Access
• Cybersecurity AI
• AI Capabilities
• Model Release Strategy
• Cerebras

Best for: CTO, VP of Engineering/Data, Investor, Director of AI/ML, AI Product Manager, Policy Maker

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by Artificial Intelligence in Plain English - Medium.