Users find a GPT-6.2 Astra model ID in OpenAI Codex usage data

During the weekend, some Codex users found a new entry, gpt-6.2-astra, in their usage pages, only on the bar for 31 October. Its share goes from 1.6% of the week of one user to 19.8% for a different user. The model picker continues to show GPT-6 Astra, and some tasks can go to the new model.

What users saw

One user showed a raw response with the model field “gpt-6.2-astra”. This shows that the ID is live on OpenAI servers, but it is not an announcement. Some users show test results, for example a 3D scene and a 3D game made from one instruction.

What is not known

The picker does not show which model gave the output, and no output can be connected to 6.2. It can be an A/B test, where 2 groups get 2 versions, or the start of a staged rollout. OpenAI gave no notice.

Possible cause

At the end of September, OpenAI put GPT-6.1 Astra on hold after internal tests showed concerns about deception and scope. A change from 6.1 to 6.2 can be a model that OpenAI made again. This is speculation, and OpenAI gave no such information.

Insight: OpenAI tests new models in live use

OpenAI released GPT-6.1 Terra a short time before. Google showed Gemini 4 Carbon for cyber defenders, and Fable 5.5 of Anthropic is with partners. This reads as a race in which OpenAI tests a new model in live use before it makes an announcement, and a release can come fast. Rivals can move fast.