Chinese audiences may be happy to let AI generate their microdramas—but a fully AI-generated feature film may be a step too far.
China’s first AI-generated feature to release in cinemas, the sci-fi thriller Sanxingdui: Future Past, flopped at the Chinese box office. The movie, produced by Bona Film Group, tells the story of an archaeologist who must save the future world enslaved by AI, according to Chinese state media. It only managed to generate an estimated $180,000 through Monday, according to ticketing platform Maoyan. The film had a budget of $1.5 million, according to AFP.
Jiang Defu, the company’s chief operating officer, acknowledged the film’s lukewarm reception in an interview with Chinese film outlet Yuli. Still, he argued Sanxingdui was an important experiment. “We are the first to try it, the first to get a theatrical release permit, and the first to be tested by the audience,” he said. “I think that is not easy at all.”
Fortune has reached out to Bona Film Group for comment.
Social media reactions to the film have been mixed. “China’s first AI movie totally traumatized me,” wrote one user on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media platform similar to Instagram. Another user was more positive: “My biggest takeaway? AI movies are super low-cost and let you tell stories with complete freedom.”
Do audiences want AI feature films?
AI has already taken over microdramas, or shorter narratives designed for social media platforms like TikTok. According to Caixin, over 95% of the more than 120,000 Chinese microdramas released in the first quarter of 2026 were AI-generated, compared with nearly zero just a year ago. The cost of making these dramas has plummeted too, down to as little as $3,000.
But Sanxingdui’s flop suggests that consumers don’t want to see AI in a full-length movie.
“The public is highly skeptical about AI use in major feature films, despite their general acceptance of short-form films,” said Stanley Rosen, a University of Southern California professor who specializes in Chinese film and society.
In the U.S., the use of AI in filmmaking is controversial. In 2023, U.S. screenwriters and actors went on strike, in part to demand protections against the use of AI. AI models like those from ByteDance and Higgsfield AI are already being used in Hollywood productions.
On Oct. 9, Netflix released its crime thriller “Animals,” whose director Ben Affleck admitted that he had used AI. “I used [AI] for lots of things in that movie,” Affleck said during a Bloomberg event, adding that he was “a little bit hesitant to point out what they are” because movies are meant to “foster the illusion of reality.”
Rosen says that he isn’t convinced that audiences would watch an AI-generated film in theatres unless it could match the quality of the likes of “Avatar” or “Nezha 2.” Such films may instead find a home on streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. “The financial loss of Sanxingdui: Future Past will compel others contemplating using AI for feature films to tread more carefully,” he says.
Update 10/27/26: Previous link dead, this link still working. Hat tip to Emhyr
The Offer
Direct link to offer
Citi is offering 125,000 miles after spending $15,000 within five months on the AAdvantage Executive card.
Card Details
Card was recently refreshed, here are the updated details:
$695 annual fee
$500 credit for American Airlines vacation packages – that’s one $250 credit January through June and another $250 July through December
$100 inflight and Admiral Club credit
Card earning rates:
12x on eligible hotels and car rentals booked through American Airlines
4x on American Airlines purchases (it goes up to 5x after you spend $150k on the card in a calendar year)
1x on all other purchases
Up to $120 back on eligible Avis or Budget car rentals every calendar year.
Admiral club access (includes authorized users)
Omni Hotels:
Omni Hotels Champion status
Omni Hotels Free Night Credit (must complete an eligible stay of two nights first)
Avis President’s Club Status
Loyalty bonus points after loyalty point thresholds.
10,000 after 50,000 earned
10,000 after 90,000 earned
10,000 after 165,000 earned
10,000 after 240,000 earned
$15 Lyft credit after you complete three Lyft rides that month
Mastercard Legend
No foreign purchase fees
Enhanced Airport Experience
First Checked Bag Free
$100 Credit For Global Entry/TSA PreCheck
48 month rule does apply
Our Verdict
This is the highest bonus ever at 125k whereas previously we were seeing a high of 100k. They did increase the spend from $10k to $15k and some people will prefer the old offer. Still, if someone can do the spend, the extra 25k miles for $5,000 spend isn’t a bad deal.
As part of the revamp, the annual fee is now $695 instead of $595 which makes it harder to justify long term. The new $500 vacation booking credits will help for some people, though many will find this primarily attractive for the first year with the 125k signup bonus. We will add it to the best credit card bonuses.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Key Takeaways
When I launched my business with an $8,000 credit card, I couldn’t afford a team. Instead, I packed boxes, handled customer service and learned the company from the ground up.
Doing the work myself taught me how much work was involved and what customers needed. When I started hiring, I knew what I was asking people to do because I’d already done it myself.
I spent money where it mattered. I had to think carefully about what the business needed, rather than what I wanted it to look like in a few years.
I started my medical business, MedLab International, with only an $8,000 credit card. I used that money to pay for my website and the first batch of inventory, but it also left me in a difficult position. Unless I could start bringing in orders and delivering on my promises to customers fast, I wouldn’t be able to pay my rent.
So, with no outside investment and very little money to work with, I couldn’t afford to hire people to do the work for me back then. I had to figure out how to run the business myself.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but having to do everything myself taught me how my business actually worked. When I eventually started hiring, I had a much better idea of what I needed from people because I’d already done their jobs myself.
Do the work yourself
When you’re bootstrapping a business, you don’t always have the money to hire someone every time a new job needs doing. In the early days of MedLab, that meant I had to do pretty much everything myself.
I packed boxes in the warehouse, managed inventory and negotiated directly with suppliers. I couldn’t afford a forklift, so I climbed warehouse racks to move boxes around. I even drove packages to the post office at 3 p.m. on Saturdays to make sure customers got their orders on time.
Outside the warehouse, I also handled customer support and onboarding. I continued doing much of this work myself as the business grew because I couldn’t afford to build the right team overnight and didn’t want to rush that process.
The hours were long, but doing those jobs taught me how much work was involved and what customers needed from us. When I eventually started hiring, I knew what I was asking people to do because I’d already done it myself.
Spend money where it matters
When you first start a business, it’s very tempting to spend money on things that will make it feel like a proper company. There’s an impulse to splash out on an office, hire a big team or bring outside experts on board. But none of those things necessarily help you make your first sale.
Because I didn’t have venture capital or money to fall back on, I had to be careful about where every dollar went. I negotiated with suppliers, kept costs down wherever I could and put money back into the business rather than buying things we didn’t really need back then.
I couldn’t afford to spend money just because something would make my life easier. I had to think carefully about what the business needed, rather than what I wanted it to look like in a few years.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time to invest in offices and bigger teams. But there’s no point spending money you don’t have on things you don’t need yet.
Know when it’s time to grow
As the business grew, there were more orders to pack, customers to deal with and work than I could realistically handle myself. That’s when I knew it was time to start bringing people in. Luckily, when I started hiring, I knew exactly which jobs I needed help with because I’d already spent countless hours doing them myself.
But knowing which jobs needed filling was only part of it. I also had to find the right people. I’ve always liked hiring people with a chip on their shoulder. People who might not have the most impressive qualifications but have something to prove. I look for people who are willing to work hard and learn as they go.
Some of those early hires from around 10 years ago are still with us today. Seeing them grow with the business, buy homes and support their families has been one of the best parts of the whole experience.
Keep building, even when you succeed
MedLab started out in a warehouse that was around 600 square feet. We then moved into a 1,100-square-foot space and eventually grew into a 160,000-square-foot operation. We also made the Inc. 5000 list, which is something I never would have imagined when I was packing boxes myself and only sleeping a few hours a night.
But even then, I didn’t spend much time celebrating. I put the Inc. 5000 plaques in a closet and got back to work. I’ve since gone on to build several other businesses, and I still love the process of starting something from nothing. I think those early years, when I had no choice but to do everything myself, taught me more than anything else.
Success is not arrival; it is becoming. There is no finish line. The price is the point, and I will keep inching forward every single day forever.
Key Takeaways
When I launched my business with an $8,000 credit card, I couldn’t afford a team. Instead, I packed boxes, handled customer service and learned the company from the ground up.
Doing the work myself taught me how much work was involved and what customers needed. When I started hiring, I knew what I was asking people to do because I’d already done it myself.
I spent money where it mattered. I had to think carefully about what the business needed, rather than what I wanted it to look like in a few years.
I started my medical business, MedLab International, with only an $8,000 credit card. I used that money to pay for my website and the first batch of inventory, but it also left me in a difficult position. Unless I could start bringing in orders and delivering on my promises to customers fast, I wouldn’t be able to pay my rent.
So, with no outside investment and very little money to work with, I couldn’t afford to hire people to do the work for me back then. I had to figure out how to run the business myself.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but having to do everything myself taught me how my business actually worked. When I eventually started hiring, I had a much better idea of what I needed from people because I’d already done their jobs myself.
The Department of Education added Doctor of Naturopathy and Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine programs to its professional degree list on October 23, 2026, after a federal court order.
Students in these programs can now borrow up to $50,000 a year and $200,000 total in Direct Unsubsidized Loans, up from $20,500 and $100,000.
The designation is temporary while the lawsuit continues. Schools may still cap these loans at the lower graduate limits.
The Department of Education updated its list of professional degree programs on October 23, 2026, to include naturopathic medicine. A Federal Student Aid electronic announcement now treats Doctor of Naturopathy (N.D.) and Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine (N.M.D.) programs under CIP code 51.3303 as professional degrees.
That brings the interim list to 30 programs, one more than the 29 the Department published after a June court stay expanded the professional degree list.
The update follows a preliminary injunction issued October 16 by Judge Michael Simon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. In a 60-page opinion (PDF File), Simon found the Department likely broke the law by applying criteria outside the statute when it classified the N.D. as a graduate degree.
He also found the agency treated the N.D. inconsistently with other degrees that made the list. Law firm Thompson Coburn says it’s the first ruling to grant professional status to a specific degree under the new professional student loan caps.
Save For Later
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this article to you, so you can come back to it later!
Why It Matters
Professional status more than doubles the annual amount a naturopathic student can borrow in federal loans. Under the graduate student loan limits that took effect July 1, 2026, a graduate student can borrow $20,500 a year and $100,000 total in Direct Unsubsidized Loans. A professional student can borrow $50,000 a year and $200,000 total.
A student in a four-year N.D. program capped at $20,500 a year could borrow $82,000 in federal loans. At the professional limit, that same student could borrow up to $200,000, or $118,000 more. Without the change, that difference would have to come from savings, school aid or private health professional student loans.
Graduate Vs. Professional Loan Limits For Naturopathic Students
Limit
Graduate Student
Professional Student
Annual Limit
$20,500
$50,000
Aggregate Limit
$100,000
$200,000
Four Years At The Annual Cap
$82,000
$200,000
Source: Federal Student Aid, Thompson Coburn. The College Investor.
Which Programs Count As Professional Degrees Now?
Thirty programs are treated as professional degrees while the court orders remain in place. The October update adds CIP code 51.3303, and it covers any program in the same four-digit CIP code that awards the N.D. or N.M.D. credential. The Department used the same four-digit approach in July, when it added more nursing and psychology programs to the list.
Here’s how the list got to 30:
The RISE final rule, published May 1, 2026, named 11 fields as professional degrees.
A June 24 stay from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia expanded the interim list to 29 programs, including nursing, physician assistant and physical therapy degrees.
That stay also left several theology, psychology and pharmaceutical science programs off the list.
The Oregon injunction added naturopathy as the 30th program, effective “until further guidance is provided,” per Federal Student Aid.
The full interim list is below. Programs must award the degree shown to qualify.
Programs Treated As Professional Degrees, October 2026
CIP Code
Program
Qualifying Degree
01.8001
Veterinary Medicine
D.V.M.
22.0101
Law
L.L.B., J.D.
39.0602
Divinity/Ministry
M.Div.
39.0605
Rabbinical Studies
M.H.L.
42.2801
Clinical Psychology
Ph.D., Psy.D.
42.2803
Counseling Psychology
Psy.D.
42.2805
School Psychology
Psy.D.
42.2807
Clinical Child Psychology
Psy.D.
42.2810
Health/Medical Psychology
Psy.D.
42.2811
Family Psychology
Psy.D.
42.2812
Forensic Psychology
Psy.D.
42.2899
Clinical, Counseling And Applied Psychology, Other
Psy.D.
51.0101
Chiropractic
D.C., D.C.M.
51.0202
Audiology
AuD
51.0203
Speech-Language Pathology
SLP
51.0401
Dentistry
D.D.S., D.M.D.
51.0809
Anesthesiologist Assistant
CAA
51.0912
Physician Associate/Assistant
MSPA, PA
51.0913
Athletic Training
MSAT, MAT
51.1201
Medicine
M.D.
51.1202
Osteopathic Medicine
D.O.
51.1203
Podiatry
D.P.M., D.P., Pod.D.
51.1701
Optometry
O.D.
51.2001
Pharmacy
Pharm.D.
51.2306
Occupational Therapy
OT, MSOT, OTD
51.2308
Physical Therapy
PT, DPT
51.3303
Naturopathy/Naturopathic Medicine (New)
N.D., N.M.D.
51.3801
Registered Nursing
MSN
51.3804
Nurse Anesthetist
DNAP
51.3818
Nursing Practice
DNP
Source: Federal Student Aid. The College Investor.
How Do Schools Apply The Higher Limit?
Schools can raise loans that were already made at the graduate level this year. Federal Student Aid says a school with a 2026–27 loan coded at the graduate level can update the student level code and raise the amount to the professional limit. The school can also originate a second loan for the difference. That level code is what separates a graduate degree from a professional degree in the federal loan system.
The higher limit isn’t automatic, though. Federal Student Aid told schools they can set program-level loan limits and suggested some keep these programs at graduate caps while the litigation plays out.
The Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges advises students not to make borrowing decisions based on the announcement alone and to work with their aid office instead. Students who borrow more should also run the numbers on repayment under the new Repayment Assistance Plan before accepting the full amount.
The reversal risk is real. If the designation is reversed, Federal Student Aid says schools don’t have to adjust amounts already disbursed. Any later disbursements would drop back to the graduate limit, which could leave a student short in the middle of a program. That’s the same planning problem medical students face when federal loans fall short of medical school costs.
Students should also realize that just because they can borrow more doesn’t mean that they can afford it after graduation. Degrees like naturopathic medicine can be challenging to repay significant amounts of student loan debt because there is not easy pathway to loan forgiveness programs that can help.
How This Connects
The naturopathic ruling is one piece of a larger legal fight over which degrees count as professional. At least five other pending cases challenge the RISE rule’s definition, including the lawsuit from 23 states over graduate loan caps and a union lawsuit over nursing and social work borrowing.
Each case seeks relief only for the degrees it names. Congress is also weighing changes, with a House bill that would make graduate nursing a professional degree.
The injunction itself covers the three plaintiff groups and their members. Those are the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges, the Naturopathic Medical Student Association and the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Federal Student Aid added the CIP code to its general list, which is what schools use when they process loans under the July 2026 federal student loan changes.
What’s Next
The Department says it will keep defending the RISE rule, and it can appeal the injunction to the Ninth Circuit or seek an expedited summary judgment ruling. Judge Simon denied the Department’s request for a stay pending appeal, so the higher limit stands for now.
Several of the other professional degree cases finish summary judgment briefing before the end of 2026, which could reshape the list again. Borrowers should watch those rulings alongside the other major student loan changes from 2026.
Editor: Colin Graves
The post Education Department Expands Professional Degree List To 30 Programs After Oregon Ruling appeared first on The College Investor.
“It’s just like this whole idea during COVID, ‘Oh my God, inflation’s transitory,’” he said. “It’s like, well, the train just hit you, buddy, because we’ve been saying it’s transitory for like 5 years. It’s like, come on.”
He also objects to the way the Fed talks about measuring inflation. Changing the yardstick, he said, only delays the problem.
“Wake up, focus on inflation, and don’t change the metrics like they’re talking about,” Weinberg said. “Inflation is inflation, whether it’s like you’re going to trim this or trim that. At the end of the day, it’s inflation. And stop screwing with the numbers and deal with it, because the longer that we don’t deal with it, the more we’re stuck.”
Why the Fed may hold
Consumer prices climbed 3.7% over the 12 months ending in September, with core prices up 2.6%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The summary of economic projections issued by the Fed after its September meeting showed the Fed not reaching its 2% inflation goal until at least 2029.
Futures traders put the odds of a hold at 88.4% as of Tuesday afternoon, with the other 11.6% on a quarter-point increase, according to CME FedWatch. For the December meeting, the tool gives a 72% probability that the funds rate will sit 25 basis points above its current level, 9.1% for a half-point gap and 18.9% for no change.
Boeing(BA -10.69%), a giant in aerospace and defense, closed at $168.18, today, Tuesday, down 10.69%. Investors sold the stock after Boeing said it would miss delivery targets because production rates are not improving as quickly as initially hoped. Trading volume reached 46.8 million shares, coming in about 588% above its three-month average of 6.8 million shares.
How the markets moved today
S&P 500(^GSPC +0.60%) rose 0.60% to 7,723, while the Nasdaq Composite(^IXIC +1.18%) gained 1.18% to 26,478. Among aerospace & defense sector rivals, AAR(AIR +2.81%) closed at $100.08, up 2.81%, and Lockheed Martin(LMT -1.92%) finished at $622.99, down 1.92%, highlighting the split reaction across the group.
What this means for investors
Boeing stock crashed today following disappointing Q3 earnings as investors lost faith in its ability to deliver its turnaround plan. Its quarterly revenue of $24.2 billion missed analysts’ estimates of $23.8 billion, and its adjusted loss per share of $0.34 was well below the $0.25 forecast.
Numbers aside, the big issue for Boeing is that it will miss its targets to deliver the planned 500 737 Max jets this year. It will also take longer than first thought to increase its production rates, which will slow its route to profitability.
Boeing has had a turbulent few years, as accidents and quality-control issues rocked confidence. However, it clocked some big wins recently: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved its 737-10 Max planes earlier this month, and in September, it won a key fighter jet contract for the U.S. Navy. Unfortunately, today’s results undermine some of that positive news and show recovery will continue to be a bumpy ride.
Emma Newbery has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Aar, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Gold Live Trading | BTC Live Trading | Crypto Live Trading | XAUUSD & Bitcoin Live Analysis
Welcome to Krishna Crypto’s LIVE Trading Session! 📈
Join us for live Gold (XAUUSD), Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Crypto market analysis with real-time price action, technical analysis, Smart Money Concepts (SMC), support & resistance, breakout strategies, and live trading insights.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced trader, this live stream will help you understand market structure, trading psychology, risk management, and high-probability trading opportunities.
Trading in Cryptocurrency, Forex, Gold, and Stocks involves significant financial risk and may not be suitable for every investor. This live stream is provided solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered financial or investment advice.
Always conduct your own research, use proper risk management, and trade responsibly.
Crypto products and NFTs are unregulated and can be highly risky.
