GPT

People want one answer to "which AI is best," and there is not one. There is a best model for coding, a best for long documents, a best for cheap bulk work, and a best for running on your own hardware, and they are rarely the same model. Here is how I actually pick, in mid-2026, after using all four families on real work.

Reviewing GPT-5.6 is a bit like reviewing a reliable mid-size sedan. There is not much drama here, and that is sort of the point. It does almost everything competently, nothing spectacularly, and it will not embarrass you. For a huge number of people, that is exactly the right model.

OpenAI began rolling out GPT-5.6 in early July, loosening some of the access limits that had been in place. The upgrades are genuine. The name is a small crime against anyone trying to keep a mental map of which model does what.

June and early July gave us a model release almost every day, which is exactly why you should not try to follow all of them. Most were incremental. A few will still matter next summer. Here is the month sorted the only way that is useful: by how long it will stay relevant.