GeekWire

For all the hype over generative artificial intelligence, how far has AI really advanced? Where is the new line between humanity and technology, and what does it mean for the future of our daily lives and work? GeekWire is exploring these questions in our Bot or Not series , and this week on the GeekWire Podcast, we share and assess the preliminary results of an experiment that we’ve been doing as...

Today's top STEM teachers embrace learning opportunities wherever they arise, whether it's baby squirrels that have fallen from their nest, or engineering design failures that literally go up in smoke. At the GeekWire Awards on May 18, we’re celebrating two STEM Educators of the Year: Ted Rodriquez, an instructor for high school juniors and seniors at the Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center in Everett, Wa...

Biomedicine pioneer Leroy Hood says that artificial intelligence will play a key role in the future of healthcare by accelerating the progress of "scientific wellness," an approach that he has championed for many years. Hood, co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology, delves into this approach in his new book, “The Age of Scientific Wellness, ” which he wrote with co-author Nathan Price , an...

This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we're joined by a University of Washington professor whose Twitter account was abruptly suspended last week for reasons that seemed inexplicable at the time. The story is a glimpse into the erratic, arbitrary, and divided state of social media, communications, and modern economics. We also get a reality check on the new era of artificial intelligence, including t...

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's annual letter to shareholders this week delivered a dual message: while the company might not be done streamlining its operations, it's also not scaling back its ambitions for future growth. Jassy outlined the company's strategy to expand further into generative artificial intelligence , healthcare, satellite broadband and other sectors, even as he hinted that the company m...

Humans have become increasingly vulnerable to technology engineered to grab our attention, pulling us away from more meaningful and fulfilling moments and interactions in our lives. Can technology itself be part of the solution? Our guest this week on the GeekWire Podcast is Caroline Cadwell, co-founder and CEO of Unpluq , a recent graduate of the Techstars Seattle accelerator program . The startu...

This week on the GeekWire Podcast , we're joined by Ali Partovi , a technology investor, entrepreneur, and mentor who is the CEO of Neo , a startup accelerator, mentorship community, and venture firm. Neo's accelerator this week announced a new AI track , working in collaboration with OpenAI and Microsoft to help startups build businesses on newly emerging artificial intelligence capabilities. Par...

This week on the GeekWire Podcast ... We catch up on the latest on the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, and consider the long-term implications of the meltdown on the startup ecosystem and the U.S. financial system. Then, a point-counterpoint on the issue of the return to office, as Downtown Seattle Association President Jon Scholes laments the "affliction" of remote work , and Zillow Group CEO Rich...

Startups and investors cheered the U.S. government's promise this weekend to fully protect deposits after the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. But the move left many unresolved questions and challenges for the U.S. financial system and the tech industry. Our guests on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast discuss their recent experiences and offer their informed opinions on what could come next. Speak...

This week, we go behind the scenes of Hype Aviation , a news aggregation site that you might think of as Techmeme for aviation, space and defense news. Our guests are Robin Koenig, who started the site, and Isaac Alexander, a Seattle-area aviation geek who serves as its chief content officer. With GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop; edited and produced by Curt Milton. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

What was previously a point of pride on Silicon Valley Bank's website now reads like a warning sign: nearly half of U.S. venture-backed technology and life sciences companies bank with the financial institution. Financial regulators on Friday morning shut down Silicon Valley Bank and put it in the hands of the FDIC, a jaw-dropping move that has created a crisis for startup founders and their finan...

The workplace and the job market are a volatile mix of variables these days, including the economy, tech layoffs, inflation, pay transparency, remote work, and a push by some companies to bring employees back to the office. So how are all of these changes impacting pay and perks? Our guest this week is Lexi Clarke, chief people officer at Payscale , the Seattle-based compensation software and data...

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: What happened when Microsoft's new Bing AI search chatbot was called upon to help report a story for a small-town community newspaper. Plus, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's back-to-office plan draws opposition from the company's employees and support from Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. And Jeff Bezos appears serious about buying an NFL team. With GeekWire's Todd Bishop and...

Software developer Patrick Husting is excited about the potential of generative AI to transform daily work and life, but he's also cautious about the role of big tech companies -- and he sees an opportunity for independent operators such as himself to unlock the potential of artificial intelligence for users across different platforms.  Husting is the developer of a new third-party add-in called G...

Yusuf Mehdi is a Microsoft veteran of more than 31 years, who has been involved in the development and launch of some of the company's biggest products, including Windows 95 and Windows 11, the Xbox One console, and past versions of Microsoft's search engine. He's currently the corporate vice president and consumer chief marketing officer.  He spoke with GeekWire's Todd Bishop on the Microsoft cam...

Popular methods of artificial intelligence have an "explainability problem," the inability to understand exactly what's happening between input and output, and this black box will hinder new advances from neural networks That's one of the predictions for 2023 from Mark R. Anderson, founding chair and CEO of Strategic News Service (SNS) and the Future in Review Conferences . An author, scientist, a...

The ongoing layoffs across the tech industry are impacting women at a disproportionately higher rate than men, representing a possible setback for the industry's efforts to improve its gender diversity. That’s according to research conducted by talent intelligence platform Eightfold AI . Our guest this week is Sania Khan, chief economist at talent intelligence platform Eightfold AI, and a former U...

This podcast features Kirill Zubovsky , a startup founder and consultant, who is now working with AI to create applications. He talks about his journey over the past few months with AI, his experience with generative AI and GPT-3, and the application of AI he has been working on, Smartynames , a domain and business name finder. He also talks about his experience living in a van with his two kids a...

One of the defining tech industry trends of the past decade, along with the meteoric expansion of big companies and their insatiable appetite for talent, was the growing influence of engineers commanding ever-increasing salaries.  That's changing with the waves of layoffs by Amazon, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet, Salesforce, Facebook parent Meta, and others. The big salary increases that worke...

Seattle Public Schools is suing TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat for damages stemming from what the suit describes as a youth mental health crisis. That crisis, the suit alleges, has been caused by the deliberate actions of the companies in deploying algorithms designed "to maximize engagement by preying on the psychology of children." GeekWire broke the news of the lawsuit last w...

What would a combination of OpenAI's ChatGPT natural language chatbot with Microsoft's Bing search engine look like? We discuss the potentially surprising possibilities with longtime journalist and Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley , editor-in-chief at DirectionsOnMicrosoft.com , following a report this week by The Information , citing unnamed sources who say Microsoft is working on just such an int...

How closely were you reading GeekWire this year? Here's your chance to put that accumulated knowledge to the test. It's our 2022 News Quiz — this year featuring multiple planes, a famed arcade, breakthrough innovations in science and technology, and the adventures of our local tech moguls.  If you want to take the quiz yourself before listening to the show, see geekwire.com/2022newsquiz. See omnys...

Startup entrepreneur and investor Ben Gilbert, co-founder and managing director of Pioneer Square Labs and PSL Ventures, is always watching for the next big tech wave. He concedes that there have been plenty of false starts in the industry in the past: augmented and virtual reality, "personal audio computing," and more. But Gilbert, who also co-hosts the popular podcast "Acquired," didn't hesitate...

Amazon is resetting its business. Is it doing enough to change its mindset? In an analysis published this week , advisor, speaker, author, and former Amazon executive John Rossman presents a blueprint for turning the company around — advocating a "zero-based mindset" in which every initiative needs to be justified from scratch, and a "brutal rationalization of capital expenses," among other steps....

For anyone reading the news about Ticketmaster and Taylor Swift , or Twitter and Elon Musk , the problem of malicious bots might seem insurmountable. These automated programs can snap up concert tickets in the blink of an eye, or pose as humans on social media, among countless other mischievous tasks. Bad bots are a big problem, accounting for one-quarter to as much as one-half of global internet...