GeekWire

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 Kurt Schlosser. Stories and topics discussed on this week's show. Report: Jeff Bezos using investment firm to explore bid for NFL’s Washington Commanders Seattle mayor praises Amazon’s back-to-office policy in ‘State of the City’ address Wall Street Journal: Amazon Corporate Workers Face Pay Reduction After Shares Slip Amazon changes back-to-office policy, tells corporate workers to come in 3 days a week See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Ghostwriter that lets users query OpenAI’s ChatGPT in a Word sidebar and watch content generated by the natural language chatbot unfurl directly in the document they’re drafting. It's available for Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, and other Office products coming soon. Husting, a Seattle-area business leader, serial entrepreneur, and software developer who worked in Microsoft’s consulting business in the late 1990s. He came up with the idea last fall when he was using ChatGPT for writing assistance, and got tired of cutting and pasting, and switching between windows.  Related Stories Microsoft Word gets ChatGPT integration with new ‘Ghostwriter’ third-party add-in Microsoft now says AI-powered Bing chatbot is ‘not a replacement or substitute for the search engine’ More news outlets get caught up in nasty conversations with Bing chatbot over facts Arguing with AI: My first dispute with Microsoft’s brilliant and boneheaded Bing search engine See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 campus on Tuesday, a few hours after introducing the new Bing search engine and an updated version of Microsoft's Edge browser with a sidebar that uses AI to generate and analyze web content. Topics of the discussion include the potential impact of AI search on content creators, Google's preemptive response to Microsoft's announcement, the precautions Microsoft is taking to prevent another "Tay" moment, and both the capabilities and limitations of this new generation of AI. The new Bing, along with an updated version of Microsoft’s Edge browser, are available in a limited preview, with a wait-list for those who want to try the AI search and web copilot as they roll out more broadly. Related Coverage Arguing with AI: My first dispute with Microsoft’s brilliant and boneheaded Bing search engine Microsoft reveals new search engine and browser with AI ‘copilot,’ escalating battle with Google  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, and entrepreneur, he's known for using pattern discovery to accurately predict the future, and his predictions are part of the reason SNS has been followed closely in the industry since 1995. Anderson happens to have vested interest in his take on neural networks as the CEO of machine learning company Pattern Computer, which uses an alternative approach, focusing on pattern recognition. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, Anderson explains Pattern's approach and shares details from two more of his predictions for 2023: skeptical takes on the near-term future of autonomous systems and the metaverse.= The full list of predictions is available to SNS subscribers. Anderson is also the featured speaker at an upcoming dinner event, Feb. 9 in Bellingham, Wash., benefitting the Rotary Club of Bellingham. Tickets available here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics senior economist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 and two pets and his thoughts on the current "App Store moment" for artificial intelligence. (This summary was produced by SwellAI.com based on its AI analysis of the content in this week's episode, with only minor human edits for style.) GeekWire story: Putting the AI in domains: Why the new era of artificial intelligence inspires this startup founderSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 workers could expect when changing jobs are becoming a thing of the past. It's one of the major behind-the-scenes shifts happening as a result of the Big Tech cutbacks, our topic this week on the GeekWire Podcast.  Related stories and links: Full memo: Microsoft to cut 10k jobs, about 5% of workforce, and take $1.2B restructuring charge Microsoft and Amazon job cuts mark new phase for tech industry after decade of massive growth Commentary: Washington state’s tech industry will continue to grow, despite layoffs Bloomberg: Amazon, Microsoft Job Cuts Deal Another Blow to Ailing Seattle Stanford News: Why are there so many tech layoffs, and why should we be worried? Stanford scholar explains New York Times: The Era of Happy Tech Workers is Over CNBC: Apple grew more slowly than Google, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta, and has so far dodged major layoffs With GeekWire's Todd Bishop and John CookSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 weekend, and it went on to be covered by media outlets across the country.  Critics say the suit over-simplifies the causes of mental health challenges by pinning the blame on social media companies and not recognizing the responsibilities of parents and schools, and other societal factors. The suit, modeled after e-cigarette litigation, will also need to overcome some significant legal hurdles. But beyond the outcome of the lawsuit itself, what's at stake is the national conversation over social media and youth mental health. The suit already succeeded in drawing more attention to the issue of youth mental health, and the roles and responsibilities of the companies behind some of today's most popular apps. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we're replaying highlights from GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop's conversations about the lawsuit on two radio programs this week: Soundside on KUOW Public Radio in Seattle with host Libby Denkmann; and The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC Public Radio in New York. Related Post: Are social media companies to blame for youth mental health crisis? It’s complicatedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 integration.  Also on the show, we discuss the evolution and future of Microsoft Power Platform, and the key issues facing the company in the year ahead. Plus, we get the details on Mary Jo's new role, which includes writing the new Directions on Microsoft Blog, and hosting the Directions on Microsoft Briefing podcast. Read Mary Jo Foley's posts for more on these topics:  Could OpenAI's ChatGPT make Microsoft's long-rumored Bing chatbot a reality? Microsoft's plan to turn its Power Platform into a 'Power House' Hosted by GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop, todd@geekwire.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.