Data Vis Dispatch, August 25: AI, the Premier League, and clouds over India

Welcome back to the 259th edition of Data Vis Dispatch! Every week, we’re publishing a collection of the best small and large data visualizations we find, especially from news organizations — to celebrate data journalism, data visualization, simple charts, elaborate maps, and their creators.

Topics this week include AI, the Premier League, cloudberries, and clouds over India.

As has been the case for a while now, we found lots of charts about AI. It's getting better and cheaper, but makes computer storage more expensive. The Financial Times asks whether it's leaving us less employed, while The Economist wonders whether it's making us dumber. Pew shows that AI is more omnipresent than ever, but that we're also more worried about it.

Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-us-china-ai-race/"><strong>US Lead in the AI Race With China Is Rapidly Narrowing</strong></a>, August 19 <span class="badge">Great interactive charts</span> — Bloomberg: **US Lead in the AI Race With China Is Rapidly Narrowing**, August 19 Great interactive charts

El País: <a href="https://elpais.com/ciencia/2026-08-23/los-graficos-para-entender-el-despegue-de-la-inteligencia-artificial.html"><strong>Los gráficos para entender el despegue de la inteligencia artificial</strong></a> <em>[Chart description: Price in dollars per million tokens. Each line represents models with different levels of intelligence]</em>, August 23 <span class="badge">Lots of charts with fascinating data</span> — El País: **Los gráficos para entender el despegue de la inteligencia artificial** *[Chart description: Price in dollars per million tokens. Each line represents models with different levels of intelligence]*, August 23 Lots of charts with fascinating data

Datawrapper Blog: <a href="https://www.datawrapper.de/blog/tech-memory-prices"><strong>Why you can’t afford that new gadget</strong></a>, August 20 — Datawrapper Blog: **Why you can’t afford that new gadget**, August 20

Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/0dc14b44-96f6-4b1f-921a-8cba8030eafc?syn-25a6b1a6=1"><strong>Is AI really responsible for recent job cuts?</strong></a>, August 19 — Financial Times: **Is AI really responsible for recent job cuts?**, August 19

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2026/08/18/does-ai-stop-children-from-learning?taid=6a84b9c57e26be0001343c49"><strong>Does AI stop children from learning?</strong></a>, August 18 — The Economist: **Does AI stop children from learning?**, August 18

Pew Research Center: <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/data-labs/2026/08/20/how-much-of-the-internet-is-written-with-ai/"><strong>How Much of the Internet Is Written With AI?</strong></a>, August 22 — Pew Research Center: **How Much of the Internet Is Written With AI?**, August 22

Pew Research Center: <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/08/18/young-adults-in-the-us-are-increasingly-wary-of-ai-concerned-it-will-take-jobs/"><strong>Young adults in the U.S. are increasingly wary of AI, concerned it will take jobs</strong></a>, August 18 — Pew Research Center: **Young adults in the U.S. are increasingly wary of AI, concerned it will take jobs**, August 18

The young men are not alright — especially the less educated ones, as the Financial Times finds. ABC News reports on the worrying results of a new Australian study, while NZZ shows which apprenticeships are hardest for Swiss teens to pass.

Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/4b7b8d3f-5625-4dba-ad90-66192c101956?accessToken=zwAAAaAzXjgckc9Le40_ViVNutOtkGYZLBAZVg.MEUCIQDGdM6BLJYXO7RM8xAxa0vEGuE8f8T2bk_6hnl4NVKe_wIgL7xI98WrReV91HV_1j5URmCFu5y-DyY8YWIdVL9mfts&segmentId=e95a9ae7-622c-6235-5f87-51e412b47e97&shareId=f9f1e7b4-b9d3-495c-aca7-4b3a2bf314d9&shareType=enterprise&syn-25a6b1a6=1"><strong>Feminism didn’t kill the male breadwinner model, the economy did</strong></a>, August 21 — Financial Times: **Feminism didn’t kill the male breadwinner model, the economy did**, August 21

ABC News: <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-25/rising-misogyny-in-young-people/107053640"><strong>Misogynistic views are biggest red flag for violent extremism, report finds</strong></a>, August 25 — ABC News: **Misogynistic views are biggest red flag for violent extremism, report finds**, August 25

TagesAnzeiger: <a href="https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/lehrabschlusspruefung-warum-jeder-dritte-bei-gipsern-scheitert-704861042698"><strong>Erfolgsquoten von 68 bis 100 Prozent: So schneiden Schweizer Jugendliche in ihren Lehrberufen ab</strong></a> <em>[Success rates ranging from 68 to 100 percent: How Swiss teens are faring in their apprenticeships]</em>, August 23 — TagesAnzeiger: **Erfolgsquoten von 68 bis 100 Prozent: So schneiden Schweizer Jugendliche in ihren Lehrberufen ab** *[Success rates ranging from 68 to 100 percent: How Swiss teens are faring in their apprenticeships]*, August 23

The 2026–27 Premier League season kicked off last Friday, which means we can show you not one, not two, but three data visualizations about English football (the last two on jerseys):

Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/30ff2e38-38a2-4e4b-8c63-af84a8d1ece4"><strong>Premier League risks ‘eating itself’ as spending and managerial churn soar</strong></a>, August 20 — Financial Times: **Premier League risks ‘eating itself’ as spending and managerial churn soar**, August 20

Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/4709af27-5da9-4b12-bacc-32cc1a65a602?syn-25a6b1a6=1"><strong>The logos replacing gambling groups on football shirts</strong></a>, August 22 — Financial Times: **The logos replacing gambling groups on football shirts**, August 22

Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/SOCCER-ENGLAND/JERSEYS/egpbwxwzwvq/"><strong>How many jerseys is too many?</strong></a>, August 22 — Reuters: **How many jerseys is too many?**, August 22

This last chart is a perfect segue into our next section: colorful charts.

Nadieh Bremer: "I got to visualize a private equity firm's data as a piece of art. I can't divulge more about the what and how, but I hope you can simply enjoy how it looks ;) It's basically built of from ±15 million tiny dots," August 24 (Bluesky, project)

Visual Capitalist: <a href="https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-highest-mountain-on-every-continent/"><strong>Ranked: The Highest Mountain on Every Continent</strong></a>, August 22 — Visual Capitalist: **Ranked: The Highest Mountain on Every Continent**, August 22

Markku Ylisirniö: "Funky geological(ish) map of Shetland Islands. Felt like doing something a little different today," August 21 (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7496531462540894209/"><strong>LinkedIn</strong></a>) — Markku Ylisirniö: "Funky geological(ish) map of Shetland Islands. Felt like doing something a little different today," August 21 (**LinkedIn**)

You liked those mountains and islands? Here's more on the outdoors: lions, flowers, rivers, and cloudberries (they apparently taste "tart, fruity, somewhat floral, with a hint of honey and crunchy seeds to spice it up").

National Geographic: The Hard Reign ofAfrica’s Last Lions, August 20 <span class="badge">Beautiful illustrations</span> — National Geographic: The Hard Reign ofAfrica’s Last Lions, August 20 Beautiful illustrations

The European Correspondent: <a href="https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/plants-are-flowering-earlier-because-of-climate-change"><strong>Plants are flowering earlier because of climate change</strong></a>, August 19 — The European Correspondent: **Plants are flowering earlier because of climate change**, August 19

Le Temps: <a href="https://www.letemps.ch/sciences/environnement/secheresse-des-cours-d-eau-la-carte-qui-montre-l-ampleur-historique-du-phenomene-en-europe-et-en-suisse"><strong>Sécheresse des cours d'eau: la carte qui montre l'ampleur historique duphénomène en Europe et en Suisse</strong></a> <em>[<span>Rivers drought</span>: the map showing the historic scale of the phenomenon in Europe and Switzerland]</em>, August 19 — Le Temps: **Sécheresse des cours d'eau: la carte qui montre l'ampleur historique duphénomène en Europe et en Suisse** *[Rivers drought: the map showing the historic scale of the phenomenon in Europe and Switzerland]*, August 19

The European Correspondent: <a href="https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/ode-to-cloudberry"><strong>Ode to cloudberry</strong></a>, August 20 — The European Correspondent: **Ode to cloudberry**, August 20

This week in energy charts: electric cars continue to be on the rise in many countries. ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is adding much more solar power, while China produces the technology for that. Meanwhile, the Labour party in the UK has opened the way for more wind farms.

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/18/climate/ev-car-sales-oil-prices.html?unlocked_article_code=1.6lA.et5d.4b38Qa_MSHBa"><strong>The Gulf Oil Shock Is Pushing E.V. Sales to New Heights Globally</strong></a>, August 18 — The New York Times: **The Gulf Oil Shock Is Pushing E.V. Sales to New Heights Globally**, August 18

Ember: <a href="https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/the-asean-power-grid-why-every-year-of-delay-matters/"><strong>The ASEAN Power Grid: Why every year of delay matters</strong></a>, August 20 — Ember: **The ASEAN Power Grid: Why every year of delay matters**, August 20

The Telegraph: <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/08/18/china-aiming-for-global-dominance-of-mass-food-production/"><strong>China’s plan to dominate global food supply chains</strong></a>, August 18 — The Telegraph: **China’s plan to dominate global food supply chains**, August 18

The Guardian:<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/23/onshore-windfarm-applications-10-year-high-england"> <strong>Onshore windfarm applications hit 10-year high in England</strong></a>, August 23 — The Guardian: **Onshore windfarm applications hit 10-year high in England**, August 23

Speaking of the UK's Labour party: Andy Burnham ranks highly in YouGov's favorability ratings. Our politic charts section also covers a big US military budget and the upcoming US House and Berlin elections.

YouGov: "Andy Burnham's latest net favourability rating of +13 (13-14 August 2026) is the highest recorded by our tracker for a prime minister since the surge in Boris Johnson's popularity in the initial weeks of the Coronavirus pandemic," August 18 (<a href="https://x.com/YouGov/status/2089627656094462432"><strong>X</strong></a>, <a href="https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/55382-political-favourability-ratings-august-2026"><strong>article</strong></a>) — YouGov: "Andy Burnham's latest net favourability rating of +13 (13-14 August 2026) is the highest recorded by our tracker for a prime minister since the surge in Boris Johnson's popularity in the initial weeks of the Coronavirus pandemic," August 18 (X, **article**)

ProPublica: <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/military-defense-spending-budget-series"><strong>The $1 Trillion Black Box</strong></a>, August 19 — ProPublica: **The $1 Trillion Black Box**, August 19

The Wall Street Journal: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/why-the-philippines-is-central-to-americas-strategy-in-asia-54fc2919?mod=e2twg"><strong>Why the Philippines Is Central to America’s Strategy in Asia</strong></a>, August 19 — The Wall Street Journal: **Why the Philippines Is Central to America’s Strategy in Asia**, August 19

The Wall Street Journal: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/the-high-stakes-rematch-that-could-decide-the-house-637a1fbe?mod=e2twg"><strong>The High-Stakes Rematch That Could Decide the House</strong></a>, August 24 — The Wall Street Journal: **The High-Stakes Rematch That Could Decide the House**, August 24

Tagesspiegel: <a href="https://interaktiv.tagesspiegel.de/lab/der-ring-ist-die-neue-mauer-was-30-jahre-wahlergebnisse-ueber-das-neu-geteilte-berlin-verraten-datenanalyse/"><strong>Der Ring ist die neue Mauer – Was 30 Jahre Wahlergebnisse über das neu geteilte Berlin verraten</strong></a><strong> </strong><em>[Chart title: Election results over time: Since 2021, Berlin’s S-Bahn Ring has been a greater divider than the former Berlin Wall]</em>, August 24 — Tagesspiegel: **Der Ring ist die neue Mauer – Was 30 Jahre Wahlergebnisse über das neu geteilte Berlin verraten** *[Chart title: Election results over time: Since 2021, Berlin’s S-Bahn Ring has been a greater divider than the former Berlin Wall]*, August 24

And in our "Visualizations that didn't fit anywhere else" section: wealth, names, clouds, Guyana's crazy increase in GDP, slow buses, and speedy cars.

TagesAnzeiger: <a href="https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/vornamen-2025-sofia-und-noah-bleiben-die-spitze-512581396297"><strong>Das sind die beliebtesten Vornamen der Schweiz – wo liegt Ihrer in der Rangliste?</strong></a><strong> </strong><em>[Chart title: Average first-name length]</em>, August 21 — TagesAnzeiger: **Das sind die beliebtesten Vornamen der Schweiz – wo liegt Ihrer in der Rangliste?** *[Chart title: Average first-name length]*, August 21

Diagram Chasing: "Every morning, the India Meteorological Department publishes a forecast chart for each of its ~1,200 weather stations. What is interesting is the little treat hidden inside: the cloud-cover panel is drawn to look like a real cloudy sky. [...] Every day since February, we've saved these charts and made a script that reads the pixels and turns them back into numbers. This makes a daily pixel map of the sky over 1,243 stations," August 24 (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/diagram-chasing_every-morning-the-india-meteorological-department-activity-7497660153303855105-o_OK?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAifR8QB0orFVxfCEd0a_19fPLQbH5RBpuA"><strong>LinkedIn</strong></a>, <a href="https://diagramchasing.fun/2026/mapping-clouds"><strong>project</strong></a>) <span class="badge">Great explanation of a meteogram</span> — Diagram Chasing: "Every morning, the India Meteorological Department publishes a forecast chart for each of its ~1,200 weather stations. What is interesting is the little treat hidden inside: the cloud-cover panel is drawn to look like a real cloudy sky. [...] Every day since February, we've saved these charts and made a script that reads the pixels and turns them back into numbers. This makes a daily pixel map of the sky over 1,243 stations," August 24 (**LinkedIn**, **project**) Great explanation of a meteogram

Our World in Data: "Guyana’s oil-driven economy has seen the world’s fastest growth in GDP per capita in recent years. Guyana, a small country in South America, has seen the fastest growth in gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the world over the past decade," August 18 (Bluesky)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/transportation/inq2/septa-bus-changes-routes-summer-2026-phase-one-20260820.html?id=viNAiNvvMfBVt"><strong>How SEPTA's New Bus Network Impacts you</strong></a>, August 20 — The Philadelphia Inquirer: **How SEPTA's New Bus Network Impacts you**, August 20

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/19/us/politics/trump-indycar-race-washington-dc.html"><strong>See Where Indy Cars Will Race Through the Nation’s Capital</strong></a>, August 19 — The New York Times: **See Where Indy Cars Will Race Through the Nation’s Capital**, August 19

What else we found interesting

The Times: <a href="https://www.thetimes.com/uk/science/article/the-seven-faces-that-tell-britains-story-over-900000-years-brw0b0b9w"><strong>The seven faces that tell Britain’s story over 900,000 years</strong></a>, August 21 <span class="badge">Amazing illustrations</span> — The Times: **The seven faces that tell Britain’s story over 900,000 years**, August 21 Amazing illustrations

David Rumsey: "A remarkable Soviet atlas of the 1930s turns statistics into bold visual storytelling—using pictograms, isotypes, repetition, scale, color, and photomontage to make industrial, agricultural, and military data instantly understandable," August 23 (<a href="https://x.com/DavidRumseyMaps/status/2091376541653713077/photo/2"><strong>X</strong></a>, <a href="https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/view/search?q=pub_list_no%3D%2218100.000%22&qvq=sort%3APub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No%3Blc%3ARUMSEY%7E8%7E1&pgs=250&res=1&mi=0&cic=RUMSEY%7E8%7E1"><strong>collection</strong></a>) — David Rumsey: "A remarkable Soviet atlas of the 1930s turns statistics into bold visual storytelling—using pictograms, isotypes, repetition, scale, color, and photomontage to make industrial, agricultural, and military data instantly understandable," August 23 (X, **collection**)

Sergei Nozdrenkov: "[Call for contributors!] New release: 'Google Docs for Coral Reefs' is live!! You can now explore the reef with your dive buddies, select coral colonies, tag species, add comments, and search for visually similar colonies across the reef, all in 3D!" (X, project) Fascinating 3D view of a coral reef

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Data Vis Dispatch, August 25: AI, the Premier League, and clouds over India

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