This Month's Latest Tech News in Bellingham, WA - Thursday July 31st 2025 Edition

This July 2025 commentary highlights the complex intersection of AI innovation and workforce transitions in Washington State, particularly around Bellingham. While tech giants like Microsoft continue to implement significant layoffs - 9,000 globally including cuts in Washington - due largely to AI-driven restructuring rather than outright automation, local policymakers emphasize the importance of balanced regulation and consumer protection.

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell successfully led efforts to prevent federal bans on state AI regulations, safeguarding Washington's progressive laws targeting deepfake abuse and AI-generated content.

Concurrently, bipartisan momentum builds around responsible AI innovation, exemplified by the introduction of the Unleashing AI Innovation in Financial Services Act, which promotes AI experimental labs within federal agencies.

Washington State University secured a $450,000 NSF grant to train students in AI cybersecurity research, addressing growing demand for expertise amid rising cyber threats.

Local industry and government collaborate cautiously, with new advisory boards in insurance and efforts to maintain economic vitality amidst change. For those seeking to navigate this evolving landscape, Nucamp offers practical pathways such as the AI Essentials for Work bootcamp, providing foundational skills to thrive in AI-augmented workplaces.

This moment reveals Washington's dual challenge: fostering innovation while ensuring job security, ethical stewardship, and community resilience.

In July 2025, Microsoft announced a significant workforce reduction impacting approximately 9,000 employees globally, including 830 staffers in its home state of Washington, primarily at Bellevue and Redmond campuses.

These layoffs - part of a broader restructuring effort - target middle management, sales personnel, and the gaming division (Xbox and King), where a 10% staff reduction occurred alongside project cancellations like Rare's Everwild.

This move reflects Microsoft's strategic pivot to prioritize AI and cloud computing investments, with plans to spend $80 billion on AI infrastructure during the fiscal year.

The layoffs coincide with a contraction of nearly 6% in Washington's tech-related jobs since 2022, as AI-driven efficiencies reduce the need for certain roles, including some historically safe tech positions.

Chief labor economist Anneliese Vance-Sherman noted,

“AI is affecting jobs that historically were safe from automation.”

While Microsoft maintains strong profitability, with a $26 billion profit in a recent quarter, the cuts aim to flatten organizational layers and improve agility amid dynamic market conditions.

Economic ripple effects are expected to be localized around communities near Microsoft's campuses, potentially affecting spending patterns and regional growth.

For more details, see the Seattle Times analysis of Microsoft layoffs and Washington's job market, The Olympian's report on layoff impacts in Washington, and CNBC's detailed breakdown of affected roles in Washington.

Washington State's Richland area is poised to become a central hub for AI data centers powered by advanced nuclear energy, as part of a major collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Amazon, and Energy Northwest.

The DOE has identified Richland - home to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and situated on former Hanford nuclear reservation land - as one of 16 federally supported sites suitable for building state-of-the-art AI data centers complemented by clean energy solutions.

Amazon is funding the initial feasibility of a small modular reactor (SMR) project near Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station, featuring the Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology with scalable capacity up to 960 megawatts.

This project aligns with Amazon's Climate Pledge to achieve net-zero carbon operations by 2040, providing reliable and carbon-free power for AI infrastructure.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright emphasized Richland's strategic advantages, including a skilled workforce, low risk of natural disasters, and proximity to existing nuclear and hydroelectric energy sources, making it an ideal site for what he dubbed “the next Manhattan Project” in AI leadership.

Alongside this, private and public partnerships aim to support economic growth with projects like Atlas Agro's $1.3 billion carbon-free fertilizer plant, showing regional momentum toward sustainable industrial development.

DOE's initiative reflects a broader technology and energy transition, addressing data centers' surging electricity demand that could account for up to 12% of U.S. consumption by 2028, as reported by Energy Northwest and Amazon, Tri-City Herald's coverage, and the latest DOE announcements.

This convergence of AI innovation and clean nuclear energy heralds a sustainable tech future for Washington State and the nation.

In Bellingham, local programmer Morgan Foster has developed BoardLink, an AI-powered platform that revolutionizes public transparency by organizing and analyzing over 15 years of school board data in Washington State.

Combining natural language processing, machine learning, and character and speech recognition, BoardLink consolidates more than 50,000 diverse public documents - including meeting minutes, voting records, and public comments - into a standardized, searchable format.

Foster was motivated by the difficulty in accessing clear information on crucial school board decisions, such as those involving Title IX, often scattered across formats like PDFs, audio files, and video links.

BoardLink's capabilities enable users to query details on topics ranging from music program protections to gender identity discussions, enhancing civic engagement and accountability.

The platform supports partnerships with organizations such as the Educational Justice Academy and local nonprofits like Chuckanut Health Foundation, aiming to increase accessibility of public meeting information in an era of evolving education policy and AI governance.

Foster highlights,

“There is a large amount of public data produced by organizations … which is not uniform in the way it is recorded. I'm able to process it down into a common format and basically build the equivalent of a legislative tracker, except for any sort of governing body.”

This initiative reflects Bellingham's leadership in using responsible AI innovation to improve government transparency and empower community advocacy, aligning with wider trends of AI adoption in public sector data management.

Learn more about how BoardLink is reshaping local civic data access in this month's tech news roundup, and explore AI tools enhancing public meeting coverage at the Reynolds Journalism Institute.

Washington has joined the national "Driven to Protect | Washington" initiative, becoming the fourth state to pilot advanced in-vehicle alcohol detection technology aimed at ending drunk driving.

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) is equipping three fleet vehicles with the Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS), which uses infrared light to passively analyze a driver's naturally exhaled breath and detect if blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is at or above the legal limit, preventing impaired drivers from operating the vehicle without requiring any action like blowing into a mouthpiece.

This technology, developed through a public-private partnership between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, is designed to distinguish between driver and passengers accurately and function as seamlessly as existing safety features such as lane departure and emergency braking systems.

It's part of a broader effort to combat Washington's alarming 91% increase in alcohol-related traffic deaths over the past decade, including 216 fatalities in 2023 alone, when impaired drivers accounted for 27% of roadway deaths.

WTSC Director Shelly Baldwin emphasizes the initiative's goal to

build a culture of protection for every neighborhood, every family, and every road user

, while Rob Strassburger, CEO of ACTS, highlights the technology's potential to save thousands of lives annually in the U.S. Additional public education campaigns will accompany the pilot to raise awareness of this life-saving innovation.

Learn more about Washington's program at the Washington Traffic Safety Commission's official website, how the DADSS in-vehicle alcohol detection technology prevents drunk driving, and the ongoing testing detailed by StateScoop's report on Washington State's passive drunk driving sensors testing.

During the Microsoft Build conference in Seattle on May 19, 2025, a pro-Palestinian protest disrupted CEO Satya Nadella's keynote, as firmware engineer Joe Lopez vocally challenged Microsoft's AI and cloud-computing contracts with the Israeli military.

Lopez shouted accusations that Microsoft's Azure platform powers Israeli military operations harming Palestinians, demanding transparency and an end to the company's technological support.

Representing the activist group No Azure for Apartheid (Noaa), which has organized protests for over a year, Lopez's actions echoed earlier employee demonstrations, including disruptions at Microsoft's 50th anniversary event and similar protests at Google over contracts with Israeli defense entities.

Microsoft responded with an internal and external investigation, stating “no evidence to date” that its technologies were used to target civilians in Gaza, asserting compliance with strict terms of use and human rights commitments.

However, Lopez and other activists criticize Microsoft's lack of transparency and accuse leadership of ignoring employee concerns. The protest drew significant security responses and highlights the growing tension within the tech industry over ethical responsibilities linked to AI and military collaborations.

As protests continue, companies like Microsoft are navigating heightened scrutiny over their roles in geopolitical conflicts, balancing employee activism, public relations, and operational security.

For more details, see the Guardian's report on the disrupted keynote, FOX 13 Seattle's coverage of the Build protest, and Microsoft's official statement on technology use in Israel and Gaza.

In April 2025, several Seattle crosswalk push buttons, including locations in the University District and South Lake Union, were hacked to broadcast AI-generated satirical voice messages mimicking Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder.

These hacked messages conveyed politically charged commentary, such as urging not to tax the rich under threat of billionaires relocating to Florida, highlighting local tensions around wealth inequality and recent state tax proposals.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) confirmed the breaches and is actively restoring and securing affected devices while emphasizing the critical role crosswalk audio cues play for visually impaired pedestrians.

Security experts from the University of Washington explained that many crosswalk systems use simple Bluetooth connections protected by default passwords, making them vulnerable to unauthorized audio uploads.

AI voice cloning, which requires only a few samples to realistically mimic speech, elevates concerns about such attacks, with experts advising regular password updates and stronger system safeguards.

The incident underscores urgent needs for improved public infrastructure security as AI-generated deepfakes become increasingly accessible and sophisticated. For comprehensive details on the hack and implications, see NPR's report on AI-Generated Billionaire Messages at Hacked Crosswalks, KING 5 News's coverage of Seattle Crosswalk Buttons Hacked to Sound Like Jeff Bezos, and Seattle IT's Responsible Artificial Intelligence Program outlining the city's commitment to securing technology systems amid AI advances.

In a decisive move for state-level technology governance, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) played a pivotal role in the U.S. Senate's overwhelming 99-1 vote on July 1, 2025, to remove a proposed 10-year federal moratorium that would have barred states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

Cantwell, Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, strongly opposed the Blackburn-Cruz amendment - which sought to impose a five-year moratorium linked to billions in federal broadband funding - arguing it

"does nothing to protect kids or consumers"

and amounts to a significant giveaway to Big Tech companies like Meta and TikTok.

Her efforts, alongside bipartisan support including Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), ensured that states like Washington could continue advancing AI regulations addressing critical issues such as child online safety, protection against deceptive AI-generated content, and algorithmic discrimination.

This legislative victory preserves the ability of states to enforce innovative laws protecting consumers, children, and workers without undue restriction from federal funding threats.

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown praised Cantwell's leadership for safeguarding important local initiatives amidst a growing nationwide surge of state AI legislation, with over 1,000 bills proposed in 2025 alone.

The removal of the moratorium acknowledges concerns from a broad coalition - including state attorneys general, consumer advocates, and civil rights groups - that federal preemption would stifle effective AI oversight.

For more details on Senator Cantwell's opposition to the moratorium and the Senate's final vote, visit the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce's official report on AI moratorium opposition, the detailed Spokesman-Review's coverage of state AI regulation ban removal, and analysis from Washington State Standard's article on AI regulation legislation in Washington.

Evergreen Goodwill of Northwest Washington has received a significant boost through Microsoft's AI for Good Open Call Program grant, granting the nonprofit $5 million in Azure service credits to leverage AI in streamlining its labor-intensive processing of over 45 million donated items annually.

This collaboration with Microsoft's AI for Good Lab aims to enhance Evergreen Goodwill's operational efficiency and deepen its social impact, emphasizing sustainability and public health within Washington State.

Additionally, Evergreen Goodwill secured a $35,000 grant from the Seattle Technology Matching Fund to further support its Digital Device Access and Navigation project, which provides community members with refurbished laptops and in-person digital literacy assistance, boosting digital equity in the region.

Together, these grants not only demonstrate the growing role of AI in advancing nonprofit missions but also underscore Evergreen Goodwill's commitment to increasing technological access and workforce readiness for underserved communities.

For more details on the nonprofit's AI-driven initiatives and ongoing efforts, read the full report by 425 Business on Evergreen Goodwill's AI initiatives.

Axial Seamount, located approximately 300 miles off the Oregon coast beneath over 4,900 feet of Pacific Ocean water, is showing clear signs of an imminent eruption likely by the end of 2025, according to extensive scientific monitoring.

This mile-wide underwater volcano, part of the Juan de Fuca Ridge where tectonic plates diverge, has exhibited significant ground swelling, with seafloor uplift reaching nearly 10 to 15 inches per year and thousands of small earthquakes daily - classic indicators of magma movement beneath the seafloor.

Notably, Axial Seamount is the best-instrumented submarine volcano globally, monitored via the University of Washington's Regional Cabled Array, which sends real-time seismic, pressure, and visual data through over 660 miles of undersea cables.

This advanced instrumentation, combined with AI-driven seismic analysis, has enabled remarkably accurate eruption forecasting since its last eruption in 2015.

Experts confirm the eruption poses minimal direct risk to human populations due to its depth and underwater setting, ruling out tsunami danger or triggering of the nearby Cascadia subduction zone's major earthquakes.

However, the eruption will reshape the seafloor and impact unique hydrothermal vent ecosystems that support diverse marine life such as giant tubeworms and microbial communities thriving in extreme conditions.

Eruptions typically produce underwater lava flows and “snowblower” plumes of microbial waste. Scientists view Axial as a natural laboratory to refine volcanic eruption forecasts worldwide and to better understand submarine volcanism's ecological and geological significance.

Continuous monitoring efforts and planned live video observations from the next eruption are expected to deepen knowledge on magma dynamics and ecosystem resilience.

For further insights, visit the Earth.com report on Axial Seamount's likely eruption in 2025, the Science News coverage on forecasting submarine volcano eruptions, and real-time scientific data at the University of Washington College of the Environment Axial Seamount monitoring site.

Washington State has launched the Driven to Protect initiative in Washington, becoming the fourth state to join a national effort aimed at ending drunk driving by adopting the advanced Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS).

This innovative technology uses infrared light to passively analyze a driver's naturally exhaled breath to detect blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above the legal limit without requiring a mouthpiece or driver input.

The system distinguishes between drivers and passengers and prevents impaired vehicles from operating, representing a potential safety breakthrough comparable to airbags and anti-lock brakes.

Washington's Department of Transportation is currently piloting DADSS in three fleet vehicles to gather data on performance in various real-world conditions. With a 91% rise in alcohol-related traffic deaths over the past decade and 27% of roadway fatalities in Washington involving impaired drivers in 2023 (totaling 216 deaths), this technology could save thousands of lives annually across the U.S., where drunk driving accounts for nearly one-third of traffic fatalities.

WTSC Director Shelly Baldwin emphasized,

“We are driven by the belief that no loss of life on our roadways is acceptable… this is a tool to stop people from making a choice they will regret.”

The initiative is a public-private partnership between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, aiming to integrate this system into both manufacturer-installed and fleet vehicles nationwide, fostering a culture of protection on Washington roads.

Learn more about the program and its impact at DrivenToProtectWA.org alcohol detection technology initiative and the technical framework at DADSS official website.

Washington State's technology future is increasingly defined by a thoughtful balance of innovation, ethics, and public safety. Efforts such as the Washington State Artificial Intelligence Task Force, convened by Attorney General Nick Brown, underscore the state's commitment to developing responsible AI governance, focusing on transparency, equity, and consumer protections while promoting innovation.

Parallel initiatives like the Washington State Bar Association's Legal Technology Task Force champion AI adoption in law to improve access to justice and reduce court burdens, reflecting wider optimism detailed in Jordan Couch's Bright Legal Future vision.

Senator Maria Cantwell's successful leadership in blocking federal efforts that could restrict state AI regulations illustrates Washington's proactive stance in preserving its ability to innovate and regulate responsibly, detailed in the Washington State Standard's article on AI regulation.

Academic and industry engagements such as Gonzaga University's conference on AI ethics foster ongoing dialogue on responsible AI development, promoting social good while guarding against risks.

For individuals seeking to join Washington's tech landscape, educational pathways through accessible programs like Nucamp's AI Essentials for Work bootcamp offer practical skills to leverage AI ethically and effectively in everyday business roles.

Together, these state-wide efforts position Washington to harness technology's benefits while maintaining a steadfast commitment to ethical oversight and public welfare.