Data Vis Dispatch, September 22: Big AI, low birth rates, and laughs

Welcome back to the 263rd edition of Data Vis Dispatch! Every week, we’ll be 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.

Recurring topics this week include the interconnections between major AI companies, historically low birth rates, and laughing with an accent.

Starting this week's Dispatch on the topic of elections, Israel is set to hold a national election on 27 October, raising questions about potential coalition formations. Two state parliament elections took place in Germany on Sunday, with results showing significant changes in voting patterns and the seat distribution of Berlin's newly elected parliament.

Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ISRAEL-ELECTION/POLLS/lgvdbwrakvo/"><strong>Netanyahu bloc trails rivals in polls ahead of Israel's October 27 election</strong></a>, September 16 — Reuters: **Netanyahu bloc trails rivals in polls ahead of Israel's October 27 election**, September 16

Die Zeit: <a href="https://www.zeit.de/politik/2026-09/historische-wahlergebnisse-mecklenburg-vorpommern-landtagswahl-daten"><strong>Warum die SPD in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern immer wieder gewinnt</strong></a> [<em>Why the SPD keeps winning in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania</em>], September 19 — Die Zeit: **Warum die SPD in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern immer wieder gewinnt** [*Why the SPD keeps winning in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania*], September 19

Berliner Morgenpost: <a href="https://www.morgenpost.de/interaktiv/article413184909/mecklenburg-vorpommern-wahl-heute-prognose-hochrechnung-ergebnisse-live.html"><strong>Wahl in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Vorläufiges Ergebnis – diese Koalition möglich</strong> </a>[<em>Election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Preliminary result – this coalition possible</em>], September 21 — Berliner Morgenpost: **Wahl in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Vorläufiges Ergebnis – diese Koalition möglich** [*Election in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Preliminary result – this coalition possible*], September 21

Neue Zürcher Zeitung: <a href="https://www.nzz.ch/visuals/wahl-in-berlin-2026-alle-ergebnisse-im-ueberblick-ld.10024505"><strong>Wahl in Berlin 2026: alle Ergebnisse im Überblick</strong> </a>[<em>Berlin election 2026: all results at a glance</em>], September 21 — Neue Zürcher Zeitung: **Wahl in Berlin 2026: alle Ergebnisse im Überblick** [*Berlin election 2026: all results at a glance*], September 21

Tagesspiegel: <a href="https://interaktiv.tagesspiegel.de/lab/berlin-wahl-2026-wahlkarte-kieze-wahlkreise-abgeordnetenhauswahl/"><strong>So hat Berlin gewählt – alle Ergebnisse der Kieze und Wahlkreise</strong></a> [<em>This is how Berlin voted – all the results from the neighborhoods and constituencies</em>], September 20 — Tagesspiegel: **So hat Berlin gewählt – alle Ergebnisse der Kieze und Wahlkreise** [*This is how Berlin voted – all the results from the neighborhoods and constituencies*], September 20

Die Zeit: <a href="https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2026-09/wahlergebnisse-berlin-abgeordnetenhaus-karte-wahllokale"><strong>Nicht nur Berlins Zentrum ist links</strong></a><strong> </strong>[<em>Not only Berlin's center is left-wing</em>], September 21<span class="badge"> A thorough analysis of Berlin's election results</span> — Die Zeit: **Nicht nur Berlins Zentrum ist links** [*Not only Berlin's center is left-wing*], September 21 A thorough analysis of Berlin's election results

Berliner Morgenpost: <a href="https://www.morgenpost.de/interaktiv/article413178817/berlin-wahl-2026-ergebnis-wahlergebnis.html"><strong>Ergebnis der Berlin-Wahl: Wer hat gewonnen? Alle Zahlen im Überblick</strong></a><strong> </strong>[<em>Berlin election results: Who won? All the figures at a glance</em>], September 22 — Berliner Morgenpost: **Ergebnis der Berlin-Wahl: Wer hat gewonnen? Alle Zahlen im Überblick** [*Berlin election results: Who won? All the figures at a glance*], September 22

Die Zeit: <a href="https://www.zeit.de/politik/deutschland/2026-09/berlin-wahl-abgeordnetenhaus-2026-ergebnisse-live"><strong>Alle Ergebnisse der Wahl zum Abgeordnetenhaus in Berlin</strong></a> [<em>All results of the election to the House of Representatives in Berlin</em>], September 21 — Die Zeit: **Alle Ergebnisse der Wahl zum Abgeordnetenhaus in Berlin** [*All results of the election to the House of Representatives in Berlin*], September 21

Taking a look at ongoing wars, an analysis of the war in Iran reveals the dangers of automated warfare. Meanwhile, America's military power is under strain due to the ongoing US-led blockade against Iran. As for the war in Ukraine, Russian airstrikes have been targeting gas stations, amid reports of Peruvian citizens being recruited to fight against Ukraine.

Bloomberg:<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-iran-school-attack/?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4OTc2NTM5OCwiZXhwIjoxNzkwMzcwMTk4LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUTEtWT01LR1pBSlgwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiJFQzUzMkU0NDM2OTc0ODRGOTJGOUY3MTdGQ0QzQUZBQiJ9.AeJglIvQiVNt36Jhvjko_vcg46yQyl2TA0GEtcaU4BU&leadSource=article-gifting"> <strong>Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School</strong></a>, September 18 — Bloomberg: **Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School**, September 18

Bloomberg: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2026-us-iran-war-blockade/?srnd=phx-graphics-v2"><strong>Iran Blockade Costs Are Draining America’s Global Military Power</strong></a>, September 16 — Bloomberg: **Iran Blockade Costs Are Draining America’s Global Military Power**, September 16

Neue Zürcher Zeitung: <a href="https://www.nzz.ch/visuals/stillstand-am-boden-eskalation-in-der-luft-was-gerade-in-der-ukraine-passiert-ld.10023401"><strong>Stillstand am Boden, Eskalation in der Luft – was gerade in der Ukraine passiert</strong> </a>[<em>Stagnation on the ground, escalation in the air – what's happening right now in Ukraine</em>], September 21 — Neue Zürcher Zeitung: **Stillstand am Boden, Eskalation in der Luft – was gerade in der Ukraine passiert** [*Stagnation on the ground, escalation in the air – what's happening right now in Ukraine*], September 21

ABC: <a href="https://www.abc.es/internacional/mandando-carne-canon-capto-rusia-decenas-peruanos-20260828012432-nt.html"><strong>Así captó Rusia a decenas de peruanos para la guerra de Ucrania</strong> </a>[<em>This is how Russia recruited dozens of Peruvians for the war in Ukraine</em>], September 20 — ABC: **Así captó Rusia a decenas de peruanos para la guerra de Ucrania** [*This is how Russia recruited dozens of Peruvians for the war in Ukraine*], September 20

Last week, the 2026 EU State of the Union address was held, presenting the upcoming agenda. Europe's priorities for strengthening its global standing have also been formalized.

The European Correspondent: <a href="https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/the-eus-plan-to-fix-everything-sort-of"><strong>The EU's plan to fix everything, sort of</strong></a>, September 17 — The European Correspondent: **The EU's plan to fix everything, sort of**, September 17

The European Correspondent: <a href="https://europeancorrespondent.com/en/r/what-makes-europe-strong"><strong>What makes Europe strong?</strong></a>, September 16 — The European Correspondent: **What makes Europe strong?**, September 16

High prices in Germany are becoming the norm, with fuel prices reaching record highs and room costs in shared apartments varying by city.

Tages-Anzeiger:<a href="https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/dieselpreis-schweiz-warum-sogar-2-50-franken-moeglich-sind-247708391763"> <strong>Spritpreise auf Rekordkurs: «Eine Frechheit», sagt Ralf Neuhauser vor seinem Wohnmobil</strong></a> [<em>Fuel prices at record highs: "An outrage," says Ralf Neuhauser in front of his motorhome</em>], September 16 — Tages-Anzeiger: **Spritpreise auf Rekordkurs: «Eine Frechheit», sagt Ralf Neuhauser vor seinem Wohnmobil** [*Fuel prices at record highs: "An outrage," says Ralf Neuhauser in front of his motorhome*], September 16

Der Spiegel: <a href="https://www.spiegel.de/start/wg-zimmer-wo-sich-studierende-das-wohnen-mit-bafoeg-noch-leisten-koennen-a-3a2e79a0-239f-46c0-ad1e-231abbc73604"><strong>WG-Zimmer gesucht: Wo es besonders teuer wird – und wo nicht</strong></a> [<em>Looking for a room in a shared apartment: Where it gets particularly expensive – and where it doesn't</em>], September 19 — Der Spiegel: **WG-Zimmer gesucht: Wo es besonders teuer wird – und wo nicht** [*Looking for a room in a shared apartment: Where it gets particularly expensive – and where it doesn't*], September 19

Die Zeit:<a href="https://www.zeit.de/2026/40/luxusgueter-reichtum-dollar-millionaere-usa-schweiz"> <strong>Klotzen statt kleckern</strong></a> [<em>Go big or go home</em>], September 18 — Die Zeit: **Klotzen statt kleckern** [*Go big or go home*], September 18

Moving on to the U.S. economy, the Federal Reserve voted unanimously to raise its benchmark interest rate for the first time in three years. High petrol prices could help the Democrats secure victory in the upcoming midterm elections. Meanwhile, concerns are growing over a shift in big tech companies' spending due to excessive borrowing and disclosed commitments.

The Washington Post: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/economy/central-banking/fed-raises-rates-for-first-time-in-three-years-08539fbe?mod=e2twg"><strong>Fed Delivers First Rate Hike in Years With Unanimous Vote</strong></a>, September 16 — The Washington Post: **Fed Delivers First Rate Hike in Years With Unanimous Vote**, September 16

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2026/09/17/high-petrol-prices-could-hand-democrats-a-mighty-midterm-victory?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=6aac4f0289e5cf0001dfaa05&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky"><strong>High petrol prices could hand Democrats a mighty midterm victory</strong></a>, September 17 — The Economist: **High petrol prices could hand Democrats a mighty midterm victory**, September 17

The Guardian: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/ng-interactive/2026/sep/20/stock-market-crash-government-bond-yields"><strong>Are global stock markets heading for a crash?</strong></a>, September 20 — The Guardian: **Are global stock markets heading for a crash?**, September 20

Financial Times: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/8475dc9b-b2d4-4e10-a6b6-12796b11758a?shareType=nongift"><strong>Joining the dots between big AI</strong></a>, September 18 — Financial Times: **Joining the dots between big AI**, September 18

Staying on the topic of AI, AI performance is evolving at a rapid pace, with more rogue events being announced.

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/09/16/artificial-intelligence-now-beats-some-of-the-best-human-forecasters"><strong>Artificial intelligence now beats some of the best human forecasters</strong></a>, September 16 — The Economist: **Artificial intelligence now beats some of the best human forecasters**, September 16

The Washington Post: <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/gemini-hacked-three-companies-in-first-known-breakout-by-googles-ai-5c0baba2?mod=e2twg"><strong>Gemini Hacked Three Companies in First Known Breakout by Google’s AI</strong></a>, September 18 — The Washington Post: **Gemini Hacked Three Companies in First Known Breakout by Google’s AI**, September 18

Mabu News: <a href="https://mabunews.stibee.com/p/352"><strong>🎩 사기극일까 진짜 경고일까? 'AI 위험론'의 진실</strong></a> [<em>🎩 Is it a hoax or a genuine warning? The truth behind the 'AI risk theory'</em>], September 18 — Mabu News: **🎩 사기극일까 진짜 경고일까? 'AI 위험론'의 진실** [*🎩 Is it a hoax or a genuine warning? The truth behind the 'AI risk theory'*], September 18

People's opinions on AI are divided, with both experts in the field and the general public having different views on the topic.

The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/09/15/technology/ai-regulation-risks-politicians-executives.html?unlocked_article_code=1.BVE.GNyB.WL_-gJrXOwnh&smid=url-share"><strong>How A.I. Risks Are Splitting Silicon Valley and Washington</strong></a>, September 15 — The New York Times: **How A.I. Risks Are Splitting Silicon Valley and Washington**, September 15

Not-Ship: <a href="https://www.not-ship.com/stop-trusting-the-extinction-math/"><strong>Stop trusting the extinction math,</strong></a> September 16 — Not-Ship: **Stop trusting the extinction math,** September 16

YouGov: <a href="https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/55587-britons-are-increasingly-worried-about-the-impact-of-ai"><strong>Britons are increasingly worried about the impact of AI</strong></a>, September 18 <span class="badge">Check out further polls on the impact of AI</span> — YouGov: **Britons are increasingly worried about the impact of AI**, September 18 Check out further polls on the impact of AI

Turning to the topic of women, a correlation has been identified between male managers having daughters and a narrowing of the gender pay gap. Meanwhile, a survey has revealed attacks on female candidates running for Senate in São Paulo.

The Economist: <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2026/09/18/what-having-a-daughter-does-to-a-boss"><strong>What having a daughter does to a boss</strong></a>, September 18 — The Economist: **What having a daughter does to a boss**, September 18

We end this Dispatch with some other interesting topics: laughing with an accent, a data lobby, the Mayor's Management Report, fires in Indonesia, low birth rates, and the Jewish residents of Lubartów.

Nathan Roll: "You even laugh with an accent. In a study of 404 listeners in Japan and the Netherlands, people could pick out laughs from their own cultural group better than chance. The clips contained no spoken words. This held for spontaneous laughter, and for the polite laughs researchers recorded by asking people to laugh at unfunny jokes. We animated two of the researchers’ original recordings: one Dutch laugh and one Japanese laugh. The ribbons follow the sound energy across frequencies as each recording plays [...]," September 17 (LinkedIn) Turn the sound on!

Greg Lanier: “Walk into NORC at the University of Chicago’s new headquarters and the first thing you’ll see isn’t a lobby. It’s undulating waves of color, floating in midair. Those waves are made up of small ceramics. […] Each one stands in for a real person. Someone who sat down, thought about their own life, and answered questions for NORC’s Chicago-based panel, ChicagoSpeaks. The questions asked residents about their leisure activities. How often do you spend time in parks? Go to museums? […] Each row is one question. Each tube is one color-coded answer (green for never, rust for weekly or more, etc.) so a literal spectrum of human behavior hangs there for the viewing [...]," September 18 (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/greglanier_can-data-be-playful-walk-into-norc-at-the-activity-7506450240384901120-RVNh?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAEk-01sBCowJ89EcV5BWcY4FwVC0aeG9xj0"><strong>LinkedIn</strong></a>) <span class="badge">A beautiful way of visualizing data!</span> — Greg Lanier: “Walk into NORC at the University of Chicago’s new headquarters and the first thing you’ll see isn’t a lobby. It’s undulating waves of color, floating in midair. Those waves are made up of small ceramics. […] Each one stands in for a real person. Someone who sat down, thought about their own life, and answered questions for NORC’s Chicago-based panel, ChicagoSpeaks. The questions asked residents about their leisure activities. How often do you spend time in parks? Go to museums? […] Each row is one question. Each tube is one color-coded answer (green for never, rust for weekly or more, etc.) so a literal spectrum of human behavior hangs there for the viewing [...]," September 18 (**LinkedIn**) A beautiful way of visualizing data!

Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: "We just released the Mayor's Management Report for Fiscal Year 2026, and here's what we found: pothole politics is working and young New Yorkers are finding a government that serves them," September 20 (Bluesky)

Reuters: <a href="https://www.reuters.com/graphics/ASIA-WEATHER/INDONESIA-WILDFIRE/lgpdbwexdpo/"><strong>Tracking Indonesia's 2026 fire season</strong></a>, September 15 — Reuters: **Tracking Indonesia's 2026 fire season**, September 15

Blanca Casanova Fernández: "La baja natalidad no es una excepción española como pensábamos. Hace unas semanas publicamos en El Confidencial El declive de la humanidad, un reportaje interactivo en el que recorremos cómo este fenómeno se ha convertido en una tendencia global [...] [<em>The low birth rate is not a Spanish exception as we thought. A few weeks ago we published in El Confidencial The Decline of Humanity, an interactive report in which we review how this phenomenon has become a global trend [...]</em>]," September 17 (<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/blanca-casanova-fern%C3%A1ndez-9906131b6_visualjournalism-datavisualization-interactivejournalism-ugcPost-7506273725747585026-FwQN/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAEk-01sBCowJ89EcV5BWcY4FwVC0aeG9xj0"><strong>LinkedIn</strong></a>, <a href="https://www.elconfidencial.com/economia/2026-09-06/declive-humanidad-crisis-natalidad-llega-todos-los-rincones_4417654/"><strong>project website</strong></a>) <span class="badge">Interesting insights</span><br> — Blanca Casanova Fernández: "La baja natalidad no es una excepción española como pensábamos. Hace unas semanas publicamos en El Confidencial El declive de la humanidad, un reportaje interactivo en el que recorremos cómo este fenómeno se ha convertido en una tendencia global [...] [The low birth rate is not a Spanish exception as we thought. A few weeks ago we published in El Confidencial The Decline of Humanity, an interactive report in which we review how this phenomenon has become a global trend [...]]," September 17 (**LinkedIn**, **project website**) Interesting insights

WEDODATA: "🌍 Un site de datavisualisation qui raconte les habitants juifs de Lubartów entre 1920 et 1950, réalisé pour l'EHESS et le CNRS. Désormais dispo en 5 langues : français, anglais polonais, hébreu, yiddish! [🌍 A data visualization site telling the story of Lubartów’s Jewish residents between 1920 and 1950, created for EHESS and CNRS.Now available in 5 languages: French, English, Polish, Hebrew, and Yiddish!]," September (Bluesky, project website) Amazing storytelling

What else we found interesting

David Aerne: "After testing 100s of imgs comparing tiny and big changes to the algo: I am now confident to present to you: The new okpalette.color.pizza. Powerful as before, ~40% faster, better at detecting good presets and much better at finding rare colors!," September 15 (Bluesky, project website)

Tan G.: "A game for the #dataviz nerds," September 15 (Bluesky, project website) Quite addictive!

The Washington Post: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/09/20/trump-says-planned-arch-will-be-military-complex-drones-snipers/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzg5ODc2ODAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzkxMjU5MTk5LCJpYXQiOjE3ODk4NzY4MDAsImp0aSI6IjcwOWE3NzRhLWU0ZjQtNGIxZi04NmZiLTVkNjEwNTUzMDMwMyIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9wb2xpdGljcy8yMDI2LzA5LzIwL3RydW1wLXNheXMtcGxhbm5lZC1hcmNoLXdpbGwtYmUtbWlsaXRhcnktY29tcGxleC1kcm9uZXMtc25pcGVycy8ifQ.YSYMIINE8JSdam4FEpFkjlnYs0LW17Y7r6fD8Xppo4I"><strong>Trump says planned 250-foot arch will be ‘military complex’ for drones, snipers</strong></a>, September 20 — The Washington Post: **Trump says planned 250-foot arch will be ‘military complex’ for drones, snipers**, September 20

National Geographic: <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/graphics/world-war-ii-prisoner-of-war-logbook-cartoons"><strong>The Secret Agent With the Sketchbook</strong></a>, September 18 <span class="badge">A glimpse of the life of a war prisoner through cartoons</span> — National Geographic: **The Secret Agent With the Sketchbook**, September 18 A glimpse of the life of a war prisoner through cartoons

Cabinet of Infographic Curiosities: <a href="https://attilabatorfy.substack.com/p/the-engineering-blueprints-of-a-spanish"><strong>The engineering blueprints of a Spanish genius</strong></a>, September 21 — Cabinet of Infographic Curiosities: **The engineering blueprints of a Spanish genius**, September 21

The Guardian: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/ng-interactive/2026/sep/18/map-cartographers-western-bias-mercator-equal-earth"><strong>‘A map is never neutral’: meet the cartographers who took on centuries of western bias</strong></a>, September 18 — The Guardian: **‘A map is never neutral’: meet the cartographers who took on centuries of western bias**, September 18

Applications are open for…

A graphic design specialist at NASA, Washington

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Data Vis Dispatch, September 22: Big AI, low birth rates, and laughs

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