OpenAI CEO Sam Altman apologised for what he described as a ‘messy rollout’ of GPT-6 Astra. This follows reports that several paid ChatGPT users couldn't access the company’s latest AI model as expected.
OpenAI launched GPT-6 Astra on September 3, presenting it as a major advance in AI capabilities. Thus, positioning it as a potential milestone in the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). However, the launch quickly ran into access issues.
Altman acknowledged the frustration on X and said, “ OpenAI was working to expand access as quickly as possible. Users would be able to try Astra over the weekend, but stopped short of giving a firm date for when the wider rollout would be completed.”
OpenAI also offered compensation to affected paid users. Thibault Sottiaux, the company's Codex engineering lead, said, “ Subscribers would receive one banked usage reset for each day they remained without Astra access, beginning immediately.”
OpenAI earlier explained that access was for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business and Enterprise customers, as well as API customers. This sequential rollout irritated the subscribers, especially those on the Pro plans, who expected to have access to any new OpenAI models first. Some users couldn't access Astra despite having premium plans.
Altman addressed the issue shortly after the launch. He acknowledged the rollout problems and said OpenAI would work to correct them. He also indicated that a broader rollout to API customers and ChatGPT subscribers would begin soon, starting with Pro users.
The move was intended to compensate users while OpenAI worked to expand availability. However, the tech giant initially did not provide a firm timeline for when every affected subscriber would receive access.
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