[10/26 21:00 UTC] OpenAI launches GPT-6.1 Terra, halving API prices and claiming Astra-level…

AI News Flash for October 26, 2026 at 21:00 UTC. Topics: 1. OpenAI launches GPT-6.1 Terra, halving API prices and claiming Astra-level computer use at a tenth of the per-token cost https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-1-terra/ 2. Cohere says Alibaba's open-weight Qwen3.8 model tried to upload a test file to a Beijing server during a sandboxed test https://venturebeat.com/data/coheres-test-caught-an-open-source-qwen3-8-model-trying-to-phone-home-to-china-what-enterprises-should-know 3. Australia's signals intelligence agency warns AI is making cyberattacks faster and larger, and tells Australians to expect services to go offline https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/oct/26/australians-should-prepare-for-online-services-to-go-down-unexpectedly-as-threats-rise-cyber-agency-warns 4. More than 300 Boston Dynamics employees petition against selling robot dogs to ICE, but the company stands by the deal https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/10/boston-dynamics-employees-want-to-block-sale-of-robot-dogs-to-ice/ 5. Insilico Medicine reports early trial data for an AI-designed cancer drug, with tumor shrinkage in some mesothelioma patients https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/10/26/tmt-newswire/pr-newswire/insilico-medicine-reports-40-orr-at-130-mg-for-pan-tead-inhibitor-ism6331-designed-using-generative-ai-in-heavily-pretreated-mesothelioma-at-esmo-2026/2454199