Hard Numbers: Stolen art, mathletes, DeepMind defection, Antitrust tussle, Labor shortages

​Midjourney artificial intelligence on a computer screen.

Midjourney artificial intelligence on a computer screen.

IMAGO/Action Pictures via Reuters Connect
16,000: A list of 16,000 names of artists that Midjourney allegedly trained its image generation model on has spread on the internet after leaking from an online court filing. The list purports to show that Midjourney trained its model on the works of artists like Frida Kahlo and Damien Hirst. The list is an exhibit from an ongoing class-action lawsuit against the AI company and was accidentally posted online before being removed.

25: A math-focused AI system is almost at the level of our species’ most advanced teenage mathletes. The model called AlphaGeometry reportedly scored a 25 out of 30 on the International Mathematical Olympiad, the premier high school math competition. The average gold medalist in the competition has scored a 25.9.

220 million: A pair of Google DeepMind engineers are reportedly ready to leave the company, in talks to raise $220 million to build a new large language model. The company, which would be based in France, is tentatively called Holistic.

2: The US government's effort to investigate Microsoft’s $13 billion investment in OpenAI is on hold. The problem: Two different agencies can’t decide on who should take the lead. This is the problem that’s arisen between the country’s two antitrust authorities, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. Neither party seems ready to relinquish the job to the other.

11 million: Japan is estimated to face a labor shortage of 11 million people by 2040 as its aging population peaks and exits the workforce. While AI and robots may displace human labor in some economies, they might also help others — such as Japan — avert crises in industries such as construction and retail.

More from GZERO Media

When Walmart stocks its shelves with homegrown products like Fischer & Wieser’s peach jam, it’s not just selling food — it’s creating opportunity. Over two-thirds of what Walmart buys is made, grown, or assembled in America, fueling jobs and growth in communities nationwide. Walmart’s $350 billion commitment to US manufacturing is supporting 750,000 jobs and empowering small businesses to sell more, hire more, and strengthen their hometowns. From farms to shelves, Walmart’s investment keeps local businesses thriving. Learn how Walmart's commitment to US manufacturing is supporting 750K American jobs.

Earlier this month, Microsoft released the 2025 TechSpark Impact Report, which highlights how the company is assisting regions across the US in achieving these goals. Since its launch, TechSpark has obtained over $700 million in community funding, supported more than 65,000 people in developing digital skills, and, thanks to the work of TechSpark Fellows, catalyzed $249M+ in funding and upskilled 34,600 individuals across 46 communities — highlighting the ripple effect of local leadership and innovation. Learn more about this progress in the 2025 report here.

People walk past a jewelry store in the Diamond District of Manhattan, New York City, USA, on August 6, 2025.
Jimin Kim / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect

GZERO spoke to Eurasia Group’s Commodities Director Tim Puko to better understand why the diamond industry has tanked, and the consequences of this for geopolitics.

- YouTube

In Ask Ian, Ian Bremmer notes that US–China relations are once again on edge. After Washington expanded export controls on Chinese tech firms, Beijing struck back with new limits on critical minerals. President Trump responded by threatening 100% tariffs, then quickly walked them back.

In this episode of The Ripple Effect: Investing in Life Sciences, host Dan Riskin speaks with Patrick Horber, President of Novartis International, and David Gluckman, Vice Chairman of Investment Banking and Global Head of Healthcare at Lazard. Together, they break down the outsized economic impact of life science innovation, from trillions in US bioscience output to China’s meteoric rise as a global R&D hub.

RPG-7 training of Ukrainian soldiers. November 17, 2024.
  • Adrien Vautier via Reuters Connect

People from different cultures often approach the same problem in different ways. We wondered — would an AI trained and tuned in China approach a complex geopolitical challenge differently than a model created and trained in Europe, or in the United States?