GPT-5.6, Coding Wars, Quantum Wins

By the Orchestra editors · 4 min read

TL;DR

OpenAI launches GPT-5.6 and ChatGPT Work after government clearance, bundling Codex into a single productivity agent
Meta fires back with Muse Spark 1.1, targeting enterprise coding and agentic workflows
Sydney's Diraq publishes a quantum scaling breakthrough in Nature Communications
Canberra's new digital contractor blacklist policy is now live

AI · Worldwide

GPT-5.6 goes public with ChatGPT Work in tow

After a limited government-only preview, OpenAI has rolled out GPT-5.6 to the public alongside ChatGPT Work, a new agent that merges Codex capabilities with everyday productivity tasks. OpenAI is also sunsetting its Atlas browser, folding agentic browsing into the desktop app and a Chrome extension instead.

Meta launches Muse Spark 1.1 and opens its Model API

Meta's second-gen Muse Spark model targets enterprise coding with improved bug detection, large-scale migrations and multi-agent workflow support. Developers can now access it through the new Meta Model API.

Microsoft using AI to find more security bugs per patch cycle

Microsoft says AI is helping it identify vulnerabilities earlier, which means Patch Tuesdays will ship more fixes at once. Timely given both attackers and researchers are using AI to find exploits faster.

Australian Tech

Diraq proves its silicon qubits can scale

Sydney quantum startup Diraq has demonstrated a chip array four times larger than its previous design with no loss in qubit performance. The research, published in Nature Communications, moves the company closer to chips with hundreds of silicon quantum dot qubits.

DTA contractor blacklist policy goes live

The Digital Transformation Agency's underperformance register is now active, meaning companies behind failed federal digital projects can be formally named. Industry pushed back during consultation but the policy proceeded largely as planned.