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Millions of people have enlisted AI agents to do everything from ordering dinner to booking a family vacation. Open AI has Dots. Anthropic has Claude Duet. And Meta has Muse. Together, agents like these are transforming the way people automate their daily lives.  But trusting these personal AI task rabbits to make decisions on our behalf can come with real risks... especially when businesses use them.  On today's episode, what are the risks if we let AI agents make decisions for us? And as agents run more and more of the economy, where do humans fit in?  GUEST:Chirag Shah, professor at the University of Washington's Information School. He’s the author of Agent Nation: How Autonomous AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Society—and What We Can Do About It.   Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone who’s been to a bar or wedding lately has probably noticed that people just aren’t drinking like they used to. A Gallup poll from last year found alcohol consumption in the U.S. is at an all-time low.  And that's sobering news for some of Washington’s most important business sectors. On today's episode, how can Washington’s iconic wine and beer industries adapt to our rapidly changing relationship with alcohol? Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Attendance at the big movie theater chains has been slowly creeping back up since it dropped off a cliff during the pandemic. But a lot of smaller, neighborhood movie theaters are still struggling to survive -- the kind with just a few screens and show a lot of independent or low-budget films.  On today's episode, what could save small cinemas? Spoiler: It’ll take more than just movies.   Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People getting other people to buy stuff is one of the oldest businesses in the world. It's called advertising... or these days, influencing.  But more and more, the people selling everything from makeup to testosterone supplements aren't even real. They're AI-generated, virtual influencers -- fake human-like characters who post about their lives, just like real people do. The global business of virtual humans is currently worth around 15 billion dollars. That’s the combined value of what companies are projected to spend on them this year.  On today's episode, why are fake humans so much better than actual ones at selling us stuff? And what could that mean in the future?  GUEST:Joseph Turow, professor at University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communication and author of The Problem with Personalization: How Advertisers Learned to Make and Break Us from Ancient Times to the AI Age.  Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For decades, big tech has been pushing for more technology in schools. By the end of the pandemic, the takeover was complete: 96 percent of public schools in America reported giving laptops or tablets to students. But new research suggests bringing devices into the classroom may not have been the best idea -- and artificial intelligence is raising the stakes. Microsoft acknowledges its first campaign to get tech into schools left many teachers and parents feeling like an afterthought. As it offers new AI lesson planners and chatbot tutors, the company says this time around will be different. On today's episode, can Microsoft win back the trust of educators as AI moves into the classroom? Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Things in San Francisco are starting to feel very sci-fi, and it seems like every day we’re learning more about artificial intelligence agents gone wild. Calls are increasingly mounting for someone to rein in this technology before it’s too late. On today's episode, how worried should we be about rogue AI?  And can our biggest homegrown AI company do anything about it?   Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, people have been comparing Seattle to San Francisco.  We've both got the water, the hills... and of course, the tech workers and the exploding real estate prices. The general consensus has been that whatever happens in San Francisco, will eventually happen in Seattle. But now, the AI boom is driving us apart. On today's episode, what do the diverging stories of San Francisco and Seattle tell us about how AI is reshaping the economy? And what could it mean for the cost of housing, here?  Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re working hard on some exciting upcoming episodes and we’ve got some busy weeks ahead, so here's one of our favorite episodes from this past year. It's about why companies that cater to the middle class are disappearing, and what that means for the businesses we love.   This episode originally aired last spring. You can read the original story here: The K-shaped economy: Why diners are dying but yachts are booming. Thank you, as always, for listening to our show. We’ll have a new episode out next week.  Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Pacific Northwest has a copper theft problem. Seattle police say this type of crime has increased 300% in the city since 2016.  And it's hitting Seattle's mom and pop shops especially hard, because often they're the target of these robberies.  We're in the midst of a big shift from a fossil fuel-based economy to one powered by electricity. And that's made copper more valuable than ever.  On today's episode, why is copper theft surging in the PNW? And can anything be done about it?  Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between state ferries, Pike Place Market, and the Space Needle, there are a lot of reasons Hollywood directors love to cast Seattle.  But today, most feature films set in the city aren't actually shot here. That's pushed Seattle to find other ways of capitalizing on its unique on-screen charms. Instead of feature films, the city is betting big on commercials. On today's episode: How did Seattle’s feature film industry end up on the cutting room floor? And what would it take to bring back its golden era?  GUEST: Chris Swenson, Film Program Manager, Seattle Office of Economic Development. Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United States has always been full of scammers, from snake oil salesmen promising miracle cures, to stockbrokers selling Ponzi schemes.   But now, swindlers and thieves have a new tool in their toolbox: AI.  The FBI says cybercrimes involving AI stole nearly a billion dollars from 22,000 Americans last year. And the situation is only getting worse.  On today's episode, AI has turbocharged the scam industry. So, how can we protect ourselves?  GUESTS: Andrea Alegrett, an assistant the Washington Attorney General's office. Yuki Ishizuka, Technology Policy Manager, Washington Attorney General's office.  Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not your imagination. Booking popular experiences in our national parks can feel impossible if you're a mere mortal. Going for a permit to backpack The Enchantments or a campsite on Diablo Lake is kind of like buying a lottery ticket these days.  The reason our parks are starting to feel like the Hunger Games arena comes down to bots, artificial intelligence, and the government's top cyber security contractor.   On today's episode, is there anything we humans can do to take back our public lands from the bots? GUEST: Heather Hansman, freelance writer and editor. She recently wrote a piece for the nonprofit newsroom RE:PUBLIC and Wired titled, "The US Built a Site to Ensure Fair Access to Public Lands, Then Everything Went Wrong." Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economic anxiety has reached a fever pitch.   Mortgage rates are creeping back up, there’s a war on, and companies seem more focused on investing in AI than hiring people.  Many Americans are worried about their finances, but still splurging more than they’re saving, especially the youngest generations. When they don't have savings, they're taking on debt.  There’s a name for this phenomenon – it's called "Doom Spending."  On today's episode, Gen Z is spending like never before ... and they’re not the only ones. So what happens to the economy over the long term when so many people are spending like there’s no tomorrow?  GUEST: Shikha Jain, lead partner for Simon-Kucher's consumer practice in North America. Read her report on the New American Dream here.  Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

App fatigue is causing more and more singles to break up with online dating. Instead of swiping, people are turning to matchmakers and other ways to find love I-R-L... often spending thousands of dollars in the process.   Seattle is becoming a city of singles. And that’s turned one of the world’s oldest businesses into one of the hottest new ones.  On today's episode, matchmaking is having a moment. Could it solve what some are calling the 'relationship recession' and help the economy as well? Do you have a story idea for us? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at [email protected]. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to its Xbox, Microsoft is doing a hard reset.   The company is reducing its gaming division by about 20 percent. Microsoft calls it “the most significant restructuring in Xbox history.”    Most of those layoffs are spread out across the country. But what happens in gaming matters here—Seattle has so many industry jobs and studios that it’s often called the "Hollywood of video games." For the workers who live and breathe gaming, their ability to keep or find a good job feels like an impossible gauntlet.  On today's episode, what's really going on with Xbox? And what do these mass layoffs say about the state of the gaming industry?  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to https://donate.kuow.org/donate/booming.Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.