ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico’s top prosecutor announced charges Wednesday against three men who are accused of using Meta’s social media platforms to target and solicit sex with underage children. The arrests are the result of a monthslong undercover operation in which the suspects connected with decoy accounts that were set up by the ..read more

NASA has selected four proposals for climate science missions, including an effort led by a University of Washington researcher, to go forward for further study with millions of dollars in funding. STRIVE, which has UW atmospheric scientist Lyatt Jaeglé as its principal investigator, would focus on interactions between the stratosphere and the troposphere. “STRIVE would allow us to see the composition and temperature of the atmosphere with much finer detail than previously possible from space,” Jaeglé told GeekWire in an email. “It would enable us to observe how smoke from fires and volcanoes ..read more

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York City’s watchdog agency has launched an investigation into allegations that the city’s police department improperly used its official social media accounts to target public officials and private citizens. The city Department of Investigation confirmed the probe in a statement Wednesday, saying it was prompted by recent requests from City ..read more

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he’s expecting a “positive outcome” from a potential vote this week in Seattle to move forward with a proposal that would revise recently implemented minimum pay requirements for food delivery drivers. The controversial minimum wage standards were a topic of discussion during Uber’s quarterly earnings call with analysts this morning, demonstrating the attention on the regulatory debate over driver pay happening in Seattle. The Seattle City Council’s governance, accountability, and economic development committee will meet Thursday to discuss and possibly vote on ..read more

Microsoft released a new version of a study that has documented the transformation of work over the past few years, from the implications of remote and hybrid work to the rise of artificial intelligence in the workplace. Among the findings this year: AI usage has nearly doubled in the past six months, reaching 75% of knowledge workers, according to Microsoft’s annual Work Trend Index. The study is based on a survey of 31,000 people in 31 countries, in addition to Microsoft 365 usage, LinkedIn data, and research conducted with big companies. The report, released Wednesday morning, presents an o ..read more

Predict.law, a stealthy new Seattle-area legal-tech startup, is using artificial intelligence to help attorneys and their law firms better predict the outcome of legal cases. Applying AI and machine learning training on precedent case history and the fact patterns associated with those cases, Predict.law uses technology to replace the current process of manually searching for relevant prior cases. The startup’s initial target market is contingency-based civil cases, in which the attorney and law firm are not compensated unless the case has a successful outcome for the client. “A predictive too ..read more

The GeekWire Awards are back, and we’re looking forward to partying with Seattle’s tech community Thursday at Showbox SoDo. If you’re planning on attending the special event, read the FAQ below for key information such as where to park, what to wear, who’s up for awards and what else to expect when we gather to celebrate the top innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists and educators in the Pacific Northwest. Special thanks to Astound Business Solutions, the presenting sponsor of the 2024 GeekWire Awards. Also, thanks to gold-level and category sponsors: Wilson Sonsini, JLL, Bl ..read more

Six years later, the floor inside a conference room at the AI2 Incubator in Seattle still shows signs of Gaurav Oberoi’s dedication to solving customer problems. This is where the Lexion CEO paced in circles on call after call, gathering the input that he and his colleagues needed to a build a tech startup that uses artificial intelligence to scour and glean insights from complicated legal documents. “I don’t know if there’s a more perfect example of quite literally the physical manifestation of Gaurav’s customer discovery than the worn carpets in our conference room,” said Jacob Colker, manag ..read more

Microsoft plans to invest $3.3 billion in an artificial intelligence-related initiative in Wisconsin, giving a boost to President Joe Biden’s job-creation efforts in the key election battleground state. The investment, according to a Microsoft announcement on Wednesday, will go toward expanding the tech giant’s cloud computing and AI infrastructure capacity, with the development of a state-of-the-art data center campus in Racine, Wisc. Microsoft also plans to create the country’s first manufacturing-focused AI co-innovation lab, and an AI skilling initiative to equip more than 100,000 Wis ..read more

Seattle and Spokane, Wash., may be on opposite ends of the state, with tech industries at very different stages of their evolution, but there’s still plenty for the state’s two largest cities to learn by comparing notes. Speaking at a Technology Alliance event last Friday, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown addressed the city’s attempts to maintain affordability and quality of life in the face of its recent population growth, fueled by the rise of remote work. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, appearing with Brown on the panel, reflected on Seattle’s growth over the past 15 years — acknowledging that he woul ..read more