OpenAI will require approval for model routers and AI gateways from November 20

OpenAI announced on October 21, 2026 that updated Usage Policies take effect on November 20, 2026, and that services giving third parties direct access to its models, such as model routers and AI gateways, must get OpenAI review and approval before offering that access. Applications that simply build OpenAI models into their own features are not covered by the intermediary approval rule. Until November 20 the previous policy version remains in effect.

The update also clarifies the existing restriction on using OpenAI models and outputs to train models intended as alternatives to or substitutes for OpenAI models, clarifies protections for children and teens and requirements for high stakes uses, bars extracting protected reasoning content, and incorporates national security principles and approval requirements for national security and law enforcement uses. OpenAI says partners that host or resell its models must keep safeguards consistent with its own, investigate potential violations and coordinate on enforcement, and that it is working with customers on SafetyIDs, which let a customer distinguish one end user in a misuse investigation without revealing that user identity to OpenAI. No approval criteria for routers and gateways have been published yet.

Sources: OpenAI Help Center; Tesla News Wire