Sam Altman apologised for OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra release after Pro and Plus users couldn't access the new model

OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra, billed as a generational leap and a possible marker of the AGI era, launched on 3 September 2026 to immediate complaints from paying subscribers who could not access it. CEO Sam Altman apologised for the messy rollout but offered no firm timeline, only credits and a hope that access would open over the weekend.