United Kingdom, Sept. 29 -- OpenAI has halted the release of its latest artificial intelligence model after safety testing found it did not meet the company's requirements for reliable and controlled behaviour.

The ChatGPT maker said its GPT-6.1 Astra system, an AI agent capable of browsing the web and using applications independently, "didn't quite meet the bar" for release.

Saachi Jain, OpenAI's head of safety systems, said the model fell short in areas including "staying within scope and authorisation" and communicating clearly with users about the work it had completed.

Jain said: "We want to make sure our model development is safe no matter whether that's in the company, or when we ship it to users. But when we ship it to users, w...