On July 9, OpenAI officially launched its new large model series GPT-5.6 and announced that the model will serve as the "preferred model" for Microsoft's Microsoft 365 Copilot, fully supporting the entire productivity application suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Cowork. This move not only achieved functional upgrades across both companies' product lines but also provided a strong positive response to recent rumors about the relationship between the two tech giants breaking apart.

Earlier this week, there were market rumors that Microsoft was trying to gradually introduce its self-developed "MAI" large model into its office software to replace some OpenAI software, in an effort to reduce operational costs. This development sparked widespread speculation within the industry about whether Microsoft and OpenAI, two major players, were gradually drifting apart.

Copilot

With the release of GPT-5.6 and the establishment of its status as the "preferred model" for Copilot, OpenAI emphasized in its official blog that the collaboration between the two companies began with a shared commitment to bringing advanced AI benefits to more people and continues to deepen this strategic coordination. Although the specific cooperation boundaries and details of the "preferred model" have not been fully disclosed, and it did not directly deny the industry reports about Microsoft introducing its self-developed model to reduce costs, this high-profile statement undoubtedly solidified the alliance stance of both parties at a critical moment.

Amid the increasingly intense competition among large models, xAI released Grok4.5, which Musk called "Opus-level," and Meta also joined the AI coding battlefield with Muse Spark1.1. The competition among industry leaders has entered a fiercely competitive phase. The deep integration of OpenAI and Microsoft in technology releases and application scenarios indicates that ecosystem binding and scenario implementation remain the core strategies for giants to build competitive barriers. The direction of their relationship will continue to influence the evolution of the global generative AI industry.