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Gary Marcus and Ted Chiang at Town Hall Seattle for AI forum

How do you tame AI? Scientist sees a need for regulating bots like drugs or airplanes

Have the risks of artificial intelligence risen to the point where more regulation is needed? Cognitive scientist Gary Marcus argues that the federal government — or maybe even international agencies… Read More

An ethicist’s take: Is it OK to lie to an AI chatbot during a job interview?

If you’re secure in your job, you may not have encountered just yet how AI is “elevating” and “enhancing” the job search experience, for employers and job seekers alike. Its… Read More

AI overwhelmingly prefers white and male job candidates in new test of resume-screening bias

As employers increasingly use digital tools to process job applications, a new study from the University of Washington highlights the potential for significant racial and gender bias when using AI… Read More

Potato’s AI research assistant digs through publications for science experiment inspiration

Science can reward its practitioners with thrilling eureka moments — with an emphasis on “moments.” A lot of research is slogging through experiments that don’t always work, wading through research… Read More

Inside Seattle’s new Sweetgreen restaurant, where a large robot helps the humans make your salad

A worker at the new Sweetgreen restaurant location in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood bangs out orders in no time and has portion consistency down to a science. The worker —… Read More

These wearable cameras use AI to detect and prevent medication errors in operating rooms

In the high-stress conditions of operating rooms, emergency rooms and intensive care units, medical providers can swap syringes and vials, delivering the wrong medications to patients. Now a wearable camera… Read More

As Americans lose billions of dollars to digital scams, startups turn to AI for solutions

It was a scam you may have heard of. The caller claimed to be a relative in trouble — in this case, a grandson who was in a car accident… Read More

7 ways AI is solving knotty challenges in climate, marine sciences and agriculture

Among the hype and controversy over artificial intelligence and gen AI tools are experts who are wielding the technology to address daunting challenges in climate and wildfires, agriculture and health.… Read More

Univ. of Washington lands $10M grant to launch a new center developing gen AI teaching tools

A University of Washington College of Education program that uses AI and chatbots to assist K-12 teachers was selected this week as a national center for research and development into… Read More

Meet Grasshopper, an underwater robot helping restore critical eelgrass meadows

The initial launch of the marine robot into the waters of Washington’s Puget Sound was a bit choppy. The tethered device, dubbed “Grasshopper,” disappeared under the flat-bottom boat from which… Read More

Artificial intelligence tools offer substantial benefits, challenges for hiring and recruiting

The recruitment landscape is being reshaped by the rapid adoption of AI and generative AI technologies, which are revolutionizing both job searching and hiring processes. For job seekers, these tools… Read More

Seattle pioneer in AI weather forecasting helps Nvidia create groundbreaking new prediction tool

It was just five years ago that University of Washington atmospheric sciences professor Dale Durran published a paper with a title asking “Can Machines Learn to Predict Weather?” At the… Read More

Illustration: Teenage Mars inhabitant in space helmet

Artificial intelligence is going full circle — from fiction to science, and back again

Artificial intelligence has had an effect on nearly every facet of modern life — ranging from diagnosing diseases, to applying for a job, to deciding which movie to watch. Now it’s reaching back… Read More

Study shows how students and teachers are using AI for college essays, letters of recommendation

A new study from Seattle-based education research organization foundry10 found that 30% of students and teachers surveyed are using AI to help with the college essay and letters of recommendation… Read More

What it’s like to ride a self-driving Waymo car

You’ve probably ridden your share of weird taxis and ride-hails, with overpowering air freshener and sticky plastic-covered seats. A self-driving car, however, is a luxurious experience. It’s a super smooth… Read More

‘Stay human’: Pope Francis’ AI advisor on the opportunities and challenges posed by latest tech

Tech organizations and religious institutions are uncommon collaborators — and perhaps even more so in Seattle, which according to the U.S. Census, is the least religious metro area in the… Read More

AI-trained cameras beat the naked eye at spotting first sign of wildfires

On June 17, early in the fire season in Washington state, a blaze ignited acres of undeveloped land in Mason County, where people are dispersed amongst the Olympic Peninsula’s dense… Read More

How clean tech companies can take advantage of AI — without draining energy from the planet

Artificial intelligence has tremendous potential to improve efficiency and help decarbonize the planet — but it also requires huge amounts of energy that could exhaust power grids across the U.S.… Read More

AI has trouble identifying sarcasm from Seattle satirical news site The Needling

AI can’t handle The Needling. The Seattle-based satirical news site that describes itself as “Seattle’s Only Real Fake News” is quickly learning some of the pitfalls that come with the… Read More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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