The census is a live model. The desk is what moved. The features are what it meant.
The editor · 7 September 2026 · 6 min read
There is already a research desk for this (Epoch), a leaderboard (Artificial Analysis), a university yearbook (Stanford's Index), a token index (Tokens Per Day), and a dozen newsletters that can tell you who raised. This issue puts a live model next to the week’s reporting, so the scale is felt and the source is named.
AiSignal’s census is a live model — tokens today, watts today, dollars this year — smeared from public prints, sourced in the method notes, honest that it is an index of consumption and not a measurement of intelligence. The desk is what moved since yesterday. The features are what it meant.
The job
Epoch has a research desk. Artificial Analysis has a leaderboard. Stanford has a yearbook. This publication sits a public clock, names the source, and writes the week. The numbers are modeled. The judgment is in the features.
The scarce asset is a reputation for not rounding the propaganda.
We will fail at this some weeks. The ticker will still be running.