Bot or Not - GeekWire

‘We know something big is happening’: Tech vets encourage experimentation, education with AI

by Taylor Soper on June 10, 2024June 11, 2024 at 10:51 am

If you’re not spending time each day trying out new AI tools and understanding how the burgeoning technology may impact your work or life — you’re going to fall behind.… Read More

Providence created new gen AI tool in 18 days to speed and improve responses to patient messages

by Lisa Stiffler on June 10, 2024June 10, 2024 at 8:23 am

The ability to call your doctor’s office and speak to a live human appears to be a thing of the past as patients turn to digital communications. Yet options there… Read More

How a photo of OpenAI’s Sam Altman, enhanced by AI, sparked a journalistic debate at GeekWire

by Todd Bishop on June 5, 2024June 14, 2024 at 10:13 am

Anyone who has ever tried photojournalism knows how great it feels — and how difficult it can be — to take a good picture when covering a live news event.… Read More

We don’t need AI rolling pins: Food tech experts on the risks and opportunities for AI in the kitchen

by Lisa Stiffler on June 5, 2024June 10, 2024 at 7:15 am

Scott Heimendinger, a culinary entrepreneur who helped lead some of Nathan Myhrvold’s Modernist Cuisine projects, has a request for today’s kitchen innovators: please, please don’t create a rolling pin powered… Read More

AI-backed robots roll through Seattle construction site, speeding build process and improving safety

by Kurt Schlosser on June 3, 2024June 3, 2024 at 7:25 pm

A couple of high-tech workers are part of the crew helping to construct a new residential tower in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. They roll through the place, take a bunch of… Read More

Wizards of the Coast posts job for an AI engineer — and some fans aren’t happy

by Thomas Wilde on June 3, 2024June 3, 2024 at 10:39 pm

A job posting by Wizards of the Coast went viral on social media over the weekend, highlighting some consumers’ lack of enthusiasm for generative artificial intelligence, as well as the… Read More

How a funeral, a pub night and a flight led an entrepreneur to launch a mental health text service

by Lisa Stiffler on May 27, 2024May 27, 2024 at 8:41 am

As entrepreneurs scramble to plug chatbots and generative AI into seemingly everything, Help Texts founder and CEO Emma Payne is sticking with something simpler. Seattle-based Help Texts is a subscription… Read More

Chatbots for teachers: Univ. of Washington releases free AI tool for quicker, better lesson plans

by Lisa Stiffler on May 24, 2024May 24, 2024 at 7:46 am

Teachers are spending more than 10 hours per week prepping their lesson plans, cutting into time that could be spent with students. A team at the University of Washington wants… Read More

Bipartisan bill aims to bolster AI education and workforce training in the U.S.

by Lisa Stiffler on May 23, 2024May 23, 2024 at 2:15 pm

Sen. Maria Cantwell introduced new legislation Thursday packed with initiatives to strengthen American education and workforce training in artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington state and… Read More

Do robots harm or help hospitality labor shortages? New research warns of worker anxieties

by Lisa Stiffler on May 20, 2024May 20, 2024 at 1:31 pm

New research suggests that using robots to address workers shortages in hospitality jobs such as food service and hotel work could create a negative feedback loop that makes the problem… Read More

AI travel planner tool from Alaska Airlines shows potential future of airfare search

by Taylor Soper on May 15, 2024May 15, 2024 at 11:30 am

AI is already changing the way people search for information online and a bigger shift could be imminent. Google this week revealed more details about its vision for AI-generated search… Read More

Video

AI startup’s new tool creates music for video footage without requiring text prompts

by Kurt Schlosser on April 30, 2024April 29, 2024 at 3:02 pm

Another startup has added a new wrinkle to the growing ways artificial intelligence is affecting content creation — this time with a feature that analyzes video and creates music geared… Read More

Generative AI is a dual concern for cybersecurity industry — and will drive increased labor demand

by Frank Catalano on April 29, 2024April 29, 2024 at 10:25 am

Artificial intelligence is a double-edged sword when it comes to cybersecurity — and will be a core driver of demand for new cybersecurity professionals, according to the keynote speaker at… Read More

The UW’s Institute for Protein Design keeps boosting startups, fueling AI-powered science

by Charlotte Schubert on April 25, 2024April 25, 2024 at 12:35 pm

The University of Washington’s Institute for Protein Design is on a hot streak. New studies, companies and spinouts are emerging at a rapid clip from the research hub, propelled by… Read More

10 important questions about the promise and pitfalls of AI

by Taylor Soper on April 20, 2024April 22, 2024 at 4:46 pm

Artificial intelligence is already changing the world. But the full extent of its impact on how we live and work remains to be seen. In the meantime, there are crucial… Read More

AI is boosting drug discovery and development — and sparking questions about proprietary data

by Charlotte Schubert on April 19, 2024April 23, 2024 at 1:51 pm

The culture of collaboration in the Pacific Northwest, the impact of AI on biopharma, and the shape of new business models driven by AI were all topics at a panel… Read More

Seattle tech vet calls rapidly growing ‘AI Tinkerers’ meetups the new ‘Homebrew Computer Club’ for AI

by Kurt Schlosser on April 19, 2024April 19, 2024 at 8:45 am

Seattle tech veteran Joe Heitzeberg remembers seeing a random, AI-related tweet in September 2022. “Still not enough tinkering happening, for whatever reason,” former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman wrote at the… Read More

Bezos Earth Fund launches $100M ‘grand challenge’ for AI solutions to climate change

by Lisa Stiffler on April 16, 2024April 16, 2024 at 10:31 am

The Bezos Earth Fund on Tuesday announced the creation of a $100 million grand challenge that’s seeking artificial intelligence-powered solutions for climate change and damage to the natural environment. The… Read More

Video

Seattle Public Schools piloting AI software from new startup for students and teachers

by Taylor Soper on April 11, 2024April 11, 2024 at 7:16 am

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) this month started rolling out new software from a startup called MagicSchool AI that sells generative AI tools to help teachers quickly generate lesson plans, student… Read More

Video

As elections loom, TrueMedia.org releases AI deepfake detector to identify fake content

by Todd Bishop on April 2, 2024April 2, 2024 at 3:40 pm

Seattle-based nonprofit TrueMedia.org released a free AI-powered media verification tool Tuesday to help journalists and fact-checkers detect deepfakes and combat misinformation ahead of upcoming U.S. and international elections. The non-partisan… Read More

Microsoft design exec turns to AI to illustrate son’s book about coping with anxiety

by Kurt Schlosser on March 12, 2024March 12, 2024 at 10:10 am

When Microsoft design chief Jon Friedman‘s son Judah needed help with a children’s book he wanted to write, Friedman went from Copilot to coauthor, of sorts. Friedman, a 20-year vet… Read More

‘How do we tame it?’ AI tools are already changing art and illustration in the comic book industry

by Thomas Wilde on March 11, 2024March 11, 2024 at 12:36 pm

At this year’s Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, one of the panel discussions brought together several working artists to discuss how the advent of generative AI tools have already… Read More

Illustration: Visualization of AI structure translated into biomolecule

Video

Leading researchers join effort to support responsible AI for biomolecular design

by Alan Boyle on March 8, 2024March 8, 2024 at 6:07 pm

More than 100 researchers — including a Nobel laureate — have signed on to a call for the scientific community to follow a set of safety and security standards when… Read More

Can AI boost clean energy efforts? Tech and policy leaders discuss solutions in Seattle

by Lisa Stiffler on February 26, 2024May 1, 2024 at 2:43 pm

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Sen. Maria Cantwell met in Seattle on Friday with West Coast tech executives and leaders from national laboratories to strategize partnerships to more quickly… Read More

‘We don’t want to be left behind’: Tech leaders bullish about generative AI amid the hype

by Taylor Soper on February 15, 2024February 15, 2024 at 9:48 pm

The hype around generative AI is persisting among tech leaders despite uncertainty about its value and impact on the bottom line. “I think about it as the next internet,” said… Read More

Video

Can AI improve your dating game? Startup’s speech analysis tool offers practice and feedback

by Kurt Schlosser on February 12, 2024February 12, 2024 at 8:52 am

The days of talking into a mirror to psych yourself up to ask someone on a date have given way to artificial intelligence. Yoodli, the Seattle-based AI-enabled software platform that… Read More

New study on coding behavior raises questions about impact of AI on software development

by Taylor Soper on January 23, 2024January 23, 2024 at 8:24 am

Software development is one of the early use cases for generative AI. Thousands of companies big and small are already using tools such as GitHub Copilot to speed up how… Read More

Washington issues tech roadmap for educators: ‘AI is here and slowing down isn’t an option’

by Lisa Stiffler on January 19, 2024January 19, 2024 at 8:33 am

Washington this week became the fifth state to issue a roadmap to guide educators, students and families in using artificial intelligence in public schools. Rather than banning the use of… Read More

Can AI and a chatbot help smokers quit? New app from Fred Hutch offers personal coaching

by Lisa Stiffler on January 18, 2024January 18, 2024 at 8:38 pm

Just in time for new year’s resolutions, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center is releasing a free app that employs an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot to help people stop smoking. Through an… Read More

Video

Scientists are using AI to study bee behavior, zebra movement, and insects on treadmills

by Charlotte Schubert on January 17, 2024January 17, 2024 at 10:33 am

The halls at a recent meeting of biologists in Seattle were buzzing with more than just the usual excitement about spiders, bats, bees, elephants and other creatures. Researchers were also… Read More