Astra training not paused, new models still expected to ship soon

OpenAI hit the brakes on certain internal activities related to its Astra model on August 7, 2026, after preliminary findings suggested the AI had reached what the company classifies as “critical” cybersecurity capabilities. But CEO Sam Altman wants to be clear: Astra’s core training never stopped, and new models are still on track to ship soon. What triggered the pause The concern centers on Astra’s cybersecurity capabilities, which reportedly reached or approached the “critical” tier in OpenAI’s Preparedness Framework. That’s the highest classification the company uses to evaluate model risks. In practical terms, the model demonstrated sophisticated agentic coding skills and the potential to identify or exploit zero-day vulnerabilities. Zero-day vulnerabilities are security flaws that software vendors don’t yet know about, making them extraordinarily valuable to both defenders and attackers. The pause lasted a little more than two weeks as OpenAI implemented new security measures around those specific capabilities. During that window, the company assessed the risks and put guardrails in place before resuming the affected activities. Astra’s broader capabilities The cybersecurity ...