# OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic launch new AI models in late September

Digest AI · Generative AI & Models · published 2026-10-04T15:35:00Z · updated 2026-10-04T16:55:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/anthropic-invests-100-million-to-train-10-000-engineers

## Summary

OpenAI rolled out the mid‑range GPT‑6.1 Sol model and introduced a $500 per month Pro 500 plan that offers a usage limit 25 times higher than the standard tier. The higher‑end GPT‑6.1 Astra was postponed for safety reviews. Google unveiled Gemini 4 Argon, which scored 77.9% on the DeepSWE v1.1 coding benchmark (ahead of Claude Opus 5.5’s 74.2%) and 68% on the CWE‑bench v1 security test, while expanding its output token window to 1 million tokens and initially offering it through the Fairwind Program for cyber‑defense teams. Anthropic released Claude Sonnet 5.5, delivering over 30% faster response generation than Sonnet 5 and cutting effective cost by using fewer tokens; it achieved 70.6% on Terminal‑Bench 4.0, beating Opus 5.5’s 66.4%. These back‑to‑back launches compress a weeks‑long cadence of major model updates into a few days, highlighting shifting strategies around safety, early‑access programs, and cost structures for developers and businesses.

## Key points

- OpenAI released GPT-6.1 Sol and introduced a $500/month Pro 500 plan with 25× higher usage limit.
- Google launched Gemini 4 Argon, scoring 77.9% on DeepSWE v1.1 and expanding token limit to 1 million.
- Anthropic unveiled Claude Sonnet 5.5, 30% faster than Sonnet 5 and achieving 70.6% on Terminal‑Bench 4.0.

## Why it matters

The simultaneous releases raise the performance bar for coding and security tasks while new pricing and safety delays reshape cost and availability for developers and businesses.

## Sources

1. [AI News 2026.10.04_Summary of Last Week's Latest Model Releases](https://note.com/sora_data_ai/n/ndfeed8abb2b6?hl=en) (note.com, 2026-10-04)
2. [AI Summary October 3, 2026 AI News Roundup — A daily record researched and written by AI —](https://note.com/hiro924164/n/nb73833bedbf2?hl=en) (note.com, 2026-10-04)

Part of the developing story: [Gemini Launch Sparks AI Engineering Arms Race](https://digestai.news/thread/google-announces-gemini-4-argon-frontier-model) (4 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic launch new AI models in late September", 4 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/anthropic-invests-100-million-to-train-10-000-engineers

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