OpenAI launched Patch the Planet as part of its Daybreak cybersecurity program to protect open-source software. The initiative partners with security firm Trail of Bits to pair human researchers with project maintainers. This setup prevents maintainers from being overwhelmed by the massive volume of automated findings produced by AI models.

Researchers use GPT-5.5-Cyber and Codex Security to find vulnerabilities and verify them before alerting developers. This human-in-the-loop approach filters out false positives and helps create tested patches. During the first week, engineers worked with 19 projects, including Python and the Go project, to identify hundreds of bugs.

Trail of Bits reported 51 issues discovered in the first round, with 19 already resolved. OpenAI created Daybreak in May to compete with Anthropic's Project Glasswing. The program shifts the focus toward building defense into software from the start rather than just reacting to vulnerabilities after they appear.