☕️ OpenAI unveils GPT-5.6 in limited preview

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In today's Techpresso:

💥 OpenAI unveils GPT-5.6 in limited preview

🔓 White House lets Anthropic revive Mythos 5

🇨🇳 Apple asks Trump to clear blacklisted Chinese chips

📱 TikTok is quietly becoming a super app

💥 Trump threatens 100% tariff over tech taxes

🎁 + 13 other news you might like

🧰 + 6 trending tools

📚 + 3 trending papers

💥 OpenAI unveils GPT-5.6 in limited preview LINK

OpenAI has begun previewing its GPT‑5.6 series to a small group of trusted partners at the government's request, but says this kind of government access process should not become the long‑term default.

The preview follows Trump's AI cybersecurity order this month, which asks companies to submit their most powerful models for voluntary government review 30 days before any public release, with Meta the only holdout.

The series has three versions: Sol, the strongest, with a new "max" reasoning effort, costs $5 per million input tokens and $30 for output; Terra and Luna are cheaper everyday and low‑cost options.

🔓 White House lets Anthropic revive Mythos 5 LINK

The U.S. Commerce Department approved Anthropic's request on June 26 to resume selling Claude Mythos 5, partially reversing an export-control order that had forced the company to pull its strongest models offline two weeks earlier.

Mythos 5 can now go to a small group of cyber defenders and infrastructure providers, with more than 100 approved companies and institutions, including Fortune 500 firms, plus non-U.S. employees of those registered partners.

The letter from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Anthropic made "significant progress" reducing risks, but it did not mention Fable 5, the consumer version, which stays offline with no set date for its return.

🇨🇳 Apple asks Trump to clear blacklisted Chinese chips LINK

Apple has reportedly asked the Trump administration to approve buying memory chips from Chinese maker ChangXin Memory Technologies, or CXMT, even though the company sits on a Pentagon blacklist, the Financial Times reports.

Apple first approached the Commerce Department more than a month ago and has since lobbied other officials and allies in Washington, arguing that sharply rising memory chip costs are straining the company's finances.

CXMT was named a Chinese military company by the Defence Department under Biden and added to the Commerce Department's Entity List, which bars US firms from exporting to it without a licence that is usually denied.

📱 TikTok is quietly becoming a super app LINK

TikTok is steadily turning into a "super app," a single platform where people can do far more than watch videos, after adding TikTok Shop, hotel booking, search, games, and a push for a fintech license.

In May, TikTok launched TikTok GO in the United States, letting users discover and book hotels, attractions, and experiences through videos, search, and location pages, which puts it in direct competition with Google Search and Google Maps.

The company applied to Brazil's central bank for two licenses, one to offer prepaid accounts for storing funds and making payments, and another to act as a direct credit provider that lends money or connects borrowers and lenders.

💥 Trump threatens 100% tariff over tech taxes LINK

President Trump threatened on Friday to place a "100% TARIFF" on goods from any country that charges a digital services tax on American companies, posting the warning on Truth Social.

Trump said this tariff would "supersede Trade Deals made with the Country, whether implemented, signed, or not," and his post singled out "Numerous European Countries" he says are considering the taxes.

The digital services taxes usually apply only to the largest tech companies like Meta, Alphabet and Amazon, all U.S. firms, and more than a dozen countries have already imposed them.

Other news you might like

• Apple's vision pro and smart glasses chief Paul Meade to join OpenAILINK

• Polymarket says its annualized revenue has climbed above $1 billionLINK

• IBM and Red Hat partner with Deloitte to fix open-source vulnerabilitiesLINK

• Russian citizens told "switch to Android" after Apple blocks key Russian appsLINK

• China's Zhipu is closing in on top U.S. AI models with Anthropic and OpenAI held backLINK

• Stanford scientists built an AI that can design healthier, greener burgersLINK

• EU: Microsoft, Amazon cloud services could be classified as gatekeepersLINK

• Meeting Trump's 2030 Quantum Deadline Will be Expensive, ComplexLINK

• Newegg wants AI to build your next gaming PCLINK

• Qualcomm plans new chip architecture for phonesLINK

• Ford had to rehire 350 engineers after its AI got vehicle quality wrongLINK

• Oracle stock has worst week since 2001 dot-com bust as AI financing concerns escalateLINK

🧰 Trending tools

QApilot's CoWork: converts existing test cases into automated iOS, Android, and Flutter tests using AI planning with human approval before real-device execution.LINK

Folio AI: an AI copilot that generates and edits PowerPoint and Google Slides faster and more accurately using a proprietary simplification layer.LINK

RetroMac: applies CRT, VHS, Game Boy, and classic OS visual filters to your screen or individual windows for nostalgic aesthetics.LINK

Cloud World Model: simulates multi-cloud architectures across AWS, GCP, Azure, OCI, and DigitalOcean to predict cost, performance, and resilience before provisioning real infrastructure.LINK

Epilogue. Write novels, scripts & poetry: a dedicated writing environment for drafting novels, scripts, and poetry, keeping your work organized and distraction-free.LINK

Supra Player: a macOS video player that syncs up to 12 videos simultaneously with frame-accurate controls, shared zoom, and annotation tools.LINK

📚 Trending papers & reports

Safety rules for AI agents now enforced at the deepest software layer catch policy violations that higher-level checks miss, with just 1.9% to 8.4% performance overhead.LINK

Hacking tools built on AI agents are themselves dangerously hackable, letting attackers steal credentials, take over machines, and escape sandboxed environments, even in the most widely used offensive security systems.LINK

Tech industry power uses fake accountability debates as decoys, distracting critics and policymakers while quietly building wealth and control, so real fairness requires confronting who actually funds and benefits from AI.LINK

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