HyperWrite CEO Matt Shumer claimed that OpenAI’s latest AI model, GPT-5.6-Sol, accidentally deleted nearly all files on his Mac while performing a task. Schumer shared the incident on X (formerly Twitter), posting a screenshot in which he appeared to admit that the AI had caused significant data loss after running a command to delete files from his computer. Using the incident to compare AI models, Schumer said he trusts Anthropic’s Fable model “1000 times more” than OpenAI’s latest system.
Matt Schumer shares screenshot of incident
Matt Schumer wrote in the X post:“GPT-5.6-Sol accidentally deleted almost every file on my Mac. This is why I trust Fable 1000 times more.”He also shared a screenshot that appears to have been generated by AI after the incident. According to the screenshot, the AI realized what happened.“Caused a severe local data loss incident. The review subagent cleanup command incorrectly expanded $HOME and the following command was executed.rm -rf /user/mattsdevboxI found processes that were still running and killed them, but material deletion occurred. ”For those who don’t know, the rm -rf command is commonly used to permanently delete files and folders on Unix-based systems, including macOS.
No response from OpenAI
Matt Schumer did not say whether deleted files were recovered or how much data was lost. OpenAI has not publicly responded to Schumer’s claims.Mr. Schumer used the incident to praise Anthropic’s Fabled model, suggesting he had greater confidence in its reliability in performing similar tasks. However, the company did not provide technical details explaining exactly how the reported deletion occurred.OpenAI recently released Sol, a model in the GPT 5.6 family, along with Terra, a balanced model for everyday work, and Luna, the most cost-effective model. “GPT‑5.6 Sol sets new standards in both intelligence and efficiency, achieving cutting-edge results across coding, knowledge work, cybersecurity, and science, while outperforming previous competing Frontier models with fewer tokens and lower estimated costs,” the company said in announcing the model. “The use of computers and enhanced design judgment makes GPT‑5.6 Sol our most sophisticated collaborator to date, helping us inspect, refine, and deliver actionable results,” it further added.
