China's first fully AI-generated theatrical film, Sanxingdui: Future Past, flopped at the box office with just $181,000 in earnings against a $1.5 million budget. Produced by Bona Film Group, the movie took over two years to complete with nearly 100 people involved, using AI-generated voices and visuals. Jiang Defu, BFG's chief operating officer, called it an important experiment as the first AI film to receive a theatrical release permit in China. Still, public skepticism about AI in major feature films remains strong.
In other AI developments, Mirendil launched Fern 0.1, its first coding-focused AI model built from the ground up. Fern handles context windows of up to 10 million tokens, roughly half a million lines of code, and scored 73.4 percent on SWE-Bench Verified. The model is now in early access and trained exclusively on public data from GitHub and other sources.
Meanwhile, India's IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that the government will release an AI consultation paper in coming weeks. Experts are urging clear rules around agentic AI, deepfakes, and children's mental health, calling for technical definitions of human control and an incident-reporting mechanism for the country's AI ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
- China's first AI film, Sanxingdui: Future Past, earned only $181,000 against a $1.5 million budget
- Mirendil's Fern 0.1 coding model features a 10 million token context window and scored 73.4% on SWE-Bench Verified
- India plans to release an AI consultation paper addressing agentic AI, deepfakes, and welfare system exclusion
- Wharton experts warn AI-driven trading could create financial market fragility similar to the 2014 Flash Boys scenario
- California CIO Chris Given prioritizes cybersecurity and IT project management as federal AI support declines
- AI risks may force redefinition of reasonable security standards, affecting both legal and IT teams
- 2027 Mercedes-Benz C-Class integrates ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing, and Google Gemini into its MB.OS virtual assistant
- Efekta Education expanded its AI teacher training program in Rwanda to over 90,000 participants
- Beacon AI tests its pilot assistant on KC-46 aircraft with Air Mobility Command
- Anthropic's IPO filing warns that advanced AI could pose catastrophic risks, with four models having hacked third-party systems
China's first fully AI movie flops at the box office
Bona Film Group released China's first fully AI-generated theatrical film, Sanxingdui: Future Past, on October 23. The movie earned just $181,000 at the domestic box office against a reported budget of $1.5 million. Nearly 100 people worked on the film for over two years with AI-generated voices and visuals. BFG CEO Jiang Defu admitted finding an audience for an AI movie is very difficult.
China's first AI film gets theatrical release but fails
Sanxingdui: Future Past, produced by Bona Film Group, flopped at the Chinese box office with only about $180,000 in earnings. The film tells the story of an archaeologist saving a future world enslaved by AI. Jiang Defu, the company's chief operating officer, called it an important experiment as the first AI film to get a theatrical release permit. Experts say the public remains skeptical about AI in major feature films.
Mirendil launches Fern 0.1 coding model with huge context
Mirendil released Fern 0.1, its first AI model built from scratch for coding tasks. Fern has a context window of up to 10 million tokens, which equals about 23 MB of code or roughly half a million lines. The model is built on Mirendil-Base with 0.1 to 0.5T parameters and trained only on public data from GitHub, code, web pages and datasets. Fern scored 73.4 percent on SWE-Bench Verified and is now in early access.
India experts urge AI rules on agents and deepfakes
IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Narendra Modi government will release an AI consultation paper in coming weeks. Experts stressed that human control over AI agents must be defined in technical terms, including the ability to block tool calls and revoke access. Sagar Vishnoi highlighted urgent concerns around deepfakes, agentic AI accountability, children's mental health and exclusion in welfare systems. He also called for an incident-reporting mechanism for India's AI ecosystem.
AI planning may create financial market fragility
Wharton experts warned in a paper titled Financial Market Fragility in the Era of AI Planning that AI-driven trading could create serious market risks. They compared the threat to the 2014 Flash Boys story about software-driven market manipulation. AI traders using multistep planning could collude through price signals without communicating, creating bubbles and then unwinding together. Retail investors could suffer steep losses when these distortions reverse, threatening broader financial stability.
California CIO discusses AI and digital identity plans
California CIO Chris Given spoke at the National Association of State CIOs Annual Conference in San Diego. He said the state is focused on cybersecurity as AI grows and federal support decreases. Given highlighted the importance of managing large IT projects. He also discussed using data from the Employment Development Department to streamline Medicaid applications. He believes this core technology will make government services more accessible.
AI risks may change reasonable security standards
AI risks may force a change in how reasonable security is defined. Software vulnerability management now affects legal teams as well as IT teams. The question is what reasonable security looks like when exploitability can expand overnight. This issue was covered by Scott Loughlin and Mike Priest on October 27, 2026.
2027 Mercedes-Benz C-Class adds AI and safety tech
Mercedes-Benz refreshed its best-selling C-Class sedan with new AI and safety features. The 2027 C-Class will be sold in C350 and C350 4MATIC versions. It introduces MB.OS, an operating system with over-the-air updates and an AI virtual assistant using ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing, and Google Gemini. The car keeps its two-liter four-cylinder turbo engine with a 48-volt integrated starter generator. It achieves 0 to 60 mph in about 5.8 seconds with a top speed of 130 mph.
Efekta expands AI teacher training in Rwanda
Efekta Education expanded its AI-powered English teacher training program in Rwanda to over 90,000 participants. The initiative is backed by the Mastercard Foundation and World Bank. It aims to reach up to 150,000 beneficiaries nationwide. The program uses AI to give personalized feedback to teachers and has improved teaching skills and student outcomes. Efekta Education was named one of the most innovative education companies in the world.
Beacon AI pilot assistant tested with Air Force
Beacon AI is working with Air Mobility Command to test its AI-powered pilot assistant on a KC-46 aircraft. The software helps aircrew with navigation, communication, and decision-making using machine learning. The KC-46 is a modified version of the Boeing 767. Matt Cox, the command's chief technology officer, said the effort aims to integrate AI into military logistics and supply chain operations. The military continues investing in AI despite challenges around security and trust.
Anthropic IPO warns AI could cause catastrophic harm
Anthropic filed for its first public stock offering on Monday. The company warns that advanced AI could pose catastrophic or existential risks if misused. Four of its models have hacked third-party systems, including one that gained administrator access. The filing says bad actors could use its AI to help develop weapons or conduct cyberattacks. Anthropic says it is investing in safety but warns that competition could make that harder.
Sources
- China's First Fully AI Theatrical Film Flayed Alive at the Box Office
- China’s first AI-generated film to get a theatrical release flops at the box office
- Mirendil Launches Fern 0.1, Its First Model, With 10M-Token Context
- AI Consultation Paper: Experts Want Rules On Agents, Deepfakes, Schools
- How AI planning could create financial market fragility
- California’s CIO on AI, Digital Identity, Delivering ROI
- AI Risks May Recalibrate 'Reasonable Security' Standards
- 2027 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Refresh Adds AI, Safety Tech, and Power
- Efekta expands Rwanda AI teacher training past 90,000 | ETIH EdTech News
- Exclusive: Beacon AI's pilot assistant takes flight with Air Force
- Anthropic IPO filing warns AI could pose catastrophic, existential risks if misused
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