This Month's Latest Tech News in Milwaukee, WI - Saturday May 31st 2025 Edition

Milwaukee is rapidly emerging as a center for technological transformation, with artificial intelligence (AI), biotech, and data centers catalyzing job creation and demanding new skill sets across industries.

This surge is reinforced by Governor Evers' AI Task Force, which released an action plan focused on expanding digital literacy, flexible training, and equitable AI access to fortify the workforce for a 21st-century economy - underscored by the governor's statement:

“We know that AI technologies are already changing the world as we know it - including the way folks work. And it's why Wisconsin is working to lead the way on AI implementation and ethical utilization as we continue our work to build an economy that works for everyone.”

Efforts range from Microsoft-backed UWM research mapping AI workforce needs with geospatial analysis to pragmatic conversations around safely integrating AI into fields like construction, where applications now address jobsite safety, legal compliance, and labor efficiency.

As reported in the Milwaukee Business Journal article on workforce growth in Wisconsin's tech sectors, this technology-driven shift highlights urgent needs for workforce adaptation, and the policy recommendations explored by the governor's task force - covered by Urban Milwaukee's coverage of the Governor's AI Task Force action plan - mirror the upskilling momentum spearheaded by higher education and industry.

For a data-rich look at the evolving AI labor landscape and regional workforce initiatives, see the ongoing work at UWM detailed University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Microsoft-sponsored AI workforce research.

Milwaukee's readiness to adapt will depend on strategic investment in education and cross-sector collaboration, as it navigates 2025's AI-powered future.

A panel of Milwaukee experts recently outlined actionable strategies for local businesses looking to harness the transformative power of artificial intelligence, urging companies to move beyond hype by identifying real problems before deploying AI solutions.

As discussed in the Table of Experts: Succeeding with AI feature, leaders recommend developing clear governance documents, robust employee training, cross-functional oversight, and careful vendor selection to ensure responsible and effective AI use.

Legal frameworks matter - Wisconsin's insurance industry, as detailed in the latest OCI AI compliance bulletin, emphasizes the necessity of written AI programs, transparency, risk management, and documented procedures when using AI for any decision-making.

The panel also addressed AI's impact on the workforce, emphasizing upskilling and adaptability over fear, with a key takeaway:

“AI is not going to replace your job, but the people who embrace AI are going to replace you.”

Successful businesses are distinguishing between data risks and output biases, crafting tailored policies, and iterating on small, measurable projects - to build trust and lay the groundwork for broader AI adoption.

For businesses eager to learn more, the upcoming Summerfest Tech 2025 conference will provide an in-depth look at Milwaukee's AI ecosystem, featuring hands-on workshops and sector-specific tracks to continue the conversation on AI strategy, ethics, and opportunity.

Google's Madison, Wisconsin office has emerged as an unsung hero in global AI hardware and data center innovation, with more than 100 engineers designing the backbone for many of the company's most advanced products.

Founded by University of Wisconsin-Madison alumni, the site is renowned for pioneering the blueprint of Google's Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), a custom silicon chip achieving 10 to 100 times greater efficiency for AI workloads and now powering most Google applications worldwide.

As AI and data centers drive up U.S. energy demands - data centers' share of national consumption has jumped from 2% in 2018 to a projected 7–12% by 2028 - Google engineers in Madison are at the forefront of tackling these challenges by developing energy-efficient hardware and networking systems.

Their local innovations not only support Nobel Prize-winning projects like AlphaFold but also enable partnerships with Wisconsin's energy and academic sectors to foster talent and sustainability.

As Milo Martin, Google Madison's site lead, reminds us:

“Every time my son uploads something to the classroom or my daughter's concert for elementary school is live streamed on YouTube … there's work being done in Madison that's some piece of supporting all of this.”

These breakthroughs have regional and global impact, especially as Wisconsin sees a wave of major data center projects and a broader push to mitigate environmental impacts from AI-driven growth.

For a closer look at how Google integrates AI advances across everything from productivity tools to disaster response, don't miss this in-depth rundown of Google's latest technology announcements and explore the infrastructural and community effects of AI data center expansion in Wisconsin with this concise data center explainer.

The 2025 Summerfest Tech Conference, branded as “Summerfest TechAI,” returns to Milwaukee from June 23-26 with an ambitious focus on artificial intelligence and its industry impact.

Drawing more than 2,900 registrants from 37 states and nine countries last year, this free conference features four major tracks - Advanced Manufacturing, Healthcare/Biohealth, Fin/InsurTech, and Energy & Sustainability - spotlighting how AI is powering innovation across Wisconsin's key sectors.

Attendees can expect influential keynotes, including Eric Siegel, renowned CEO of Gooder AI, and Henna Pryor, workplace performance expert, plus sector panels on topics like sustainable tech and healthcare transformation.

Highlights include a $20,000 cash-prize pitch competition with 16 global startup finalists and an expanded “Entrepreneur Alley” offering founder-focused workshops and networking.

New in 2025 are deep tech certification courses in partnership with MKE Tech Hub and a legislative panel exploring data privacy and AI policy. The event also provides attendees with complimentary access to a June 26 networking luncheon and admission to the Summerfest music festival's second weekend.

To learn more about the keynote speakers and conference structure, visit the comprehensive Summerfest Tech 2025 Speakers page.

Full program scheduling, track details, and the list of pitch competition innovators can be found on the 2025 Program Overview.

For ongoing registration, agenda updates, and free ticket information, see the official Summerfest Tech 2025 event portal.

The Milwaukee School of Engineering's inaugural AI Week at MSOE, held April 22-26, 2025, united students, educators, and industry leaders with the theme “AI: The Future is Now.” The week was jam-packed with events - featured activities included keynote sessions from innovators at NVIDIA, GE HealthCare, and Vanderbilt University, hands-on learning at the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute Workshop, and robust student participation in the Rosie Supercomputer Super Challenge.

The Challenge, which drew a record number of entries, highlighted projects ranging from AI-driven healthcare solutions to novel applications in language acquisition and sports analytics.

Notably, finalists tackled topics such as reinforcement learning in robotics, attention-based multi-agent environments, and computer vision for soccer.

Event	Highlight
Rosie Supercomputer Super Challenge	Five project finalists, extensive student engagement
Distinguished Lecturer	Dr. Jules White on “Generative AI and Teaching”
Industry Panels	NVIDIA, GE HealthCare, Congruence share AI insights

In a statement about the university's direction, MSOE President John Y. Walz said,

“Today, we stand at a pivotal moment in our university journey… we must invest in top teaching talent through endowed chairs, professorships and faculty-oriented research funds.”

MSOE's AI Week not only showcased the city's growing reputation in artificial intelligence but also reinforced the university's campaign for a $76 million engineering center and its goal to become a national leader in AI education.

Learn more about the future-focused expansion in Urban Milwaukee's coverage of MSOE's $125M campaign and see how MSOE students are using supercomputing power to solve real-world problems.

The 2025 NMDSI Symposium, hosted by Marquette University in partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Northwestern Mutual, brought industry and academic leaders together to dissect the myth versus reality of artificial intelligence's impact on labor markets.

Titled “Navigating AI: Transforming Industries and Careers”, this hybrid event saw keynote speaker Tia White, an executive in AI and machine learning at AWS, emphasize embracing generative AI for its workforce benefits.

A key panel discussion addressed the widespread misconception that AI will result in mass job loss, highlighting instead an evolving employment landscape where new roles emerge in sectors such as health care, finance, and education.

The NMDSI partnership, which has invested over $75 million in Milwaukee's tech ecosystem, outlined a “new collar economy” propelled by advances in AI, biotechnology, and data center infrastructure, supporting both job creation and workforce reskilling.

As summarized by local experts:

The panel focused on the realities and misconceptions surrounding AI and how technologies such as generative AI are reshaping the workforce.

For more on how NMDSI's vision and training programs are preparing Milwaukee for a tech-driven future, visit the institute's dedicated information page.

AI has quietly entered Wisconsin's homes via door-to-door sales, with companies now recording and analyzing conversations using tools like Rilla and Siro to boost pitches and identify “weak points” - and, in some cases, multiply employee sales figures.

This is fully legal under Wisconsin's one-party consent law, but the practice has sparked privacy concerns about data handling and transparency, even as businesses cite significant performance gains.

As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's report on AI usage in door-to-door sales explains, while most companies claim to disclose these recordings, questions remain over how customer data is stored and protected.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin's new Data Privacy Bill will require, as of January 2025, that businesses clearly inform residents about personal data collection, sharing, and storage - aiming to balance consumer privacy with business innovation, as detailed in this comprehensive overview of the Wisconsin Data Privacy Bill.

The state's Study Committee on AI regulation has also advised that legislators focus on safeguarding data privacy and targeting only high-risk AI activity, rather than imposing sweeping tech-specific rules.

As summarized by the committee:

“The study committee recommends that instead of focusing on regulating the emerging technology that is AI, the Legislature should focus on ensuring that data, the raw material that powers AI, remains private and the consumer protected.”

For a detailed look at these evolving laws and their potential impact on both business practices and home privacy in Milwaukee, see the Wisconsin Legislative Council's AI study committee recommendations.

This month, Milwaukee's education landscape is abuzz as a sweeping federal initiative aims to embed artificial intelligence (AI) into K-12 classrooms nationwide.

President Trump's recent executive order establishes the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education, directing multiple cabinet-level agencies to collaborate with educators and industry to develop AI resources, prioritize teacher training, and launch the “Presidential AI Challenge” competition for students and schools, all with the goal of building an “AI-ready workforce” and maintaining U.S. global competitiveness (Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth).

While federal mandates outline ambitious objectives, including expanded AI apprenticeships and dedicated grants, the policy has sparked vigorous local debate.

Experts and educators note opportunities for personalized learning and STEM equity but caution against risks related to accountability, teacher autonomy, and data privacy - especially as wealthy districts often gain faster access to advanced tools (With AI in schools, local leadership matters more than ever).

As one superintendent puts it:

“It's irresponsible to not teach (AI). We have to. We are preparing kids for their future.”

Yet, the speed of implementation and lack of funding have some educators worrying that AI “is being forced upon schools without any particular context or funding,” potentially widening educational divides (A.I. Will Destroy Critical Thinking in K-12).

Ultimately, local leadership, community engagement, and transparent partnerships will play a pivotal role in ensuring AI uplifts Milwaukee's classrooms - empowering both teachers and students for the digital era.

As Milwaukee County stares down a projected $46.7 million deficit for 2026, local leaders and experts are exploring whether artificial intelligence can provide actionable solutions - or if human judgment remains irreplaceable.

An AI-driven experiment that generated 70 pages of budget proposals, such as consolidating county services and increasing sponsorships for parks and transit, has drawn attention.

While the exercise highlighted important fiscal issues like overtime costs and declining federal aid, experts pointed out AI's inability to account for the political and emotional realities behind tough budget decisions.

“Budgeting isn't just an intellectual exercise, it's also a value-laden exercise. You can't fix the numbers without facing what the community wants or what's mandated by state law,”

said local budget analyst Rob Henken.

Thanks in part to the flexibility granted by Wisconsin's Act 12, the county has reduced its structural deficit from $50 million to about $15 million, implementing reforms that include a 2.8% property tax increase and strategic spending in public safety, transit, and capital projects.

For a snapshot of Milwaukee County's budget trajectory and deficit sources, see the table below:

Year	Budget Surplus/Deficit	Main Fiscal Drivers
2024	+$51.1 million (surplus)	Sales tax reform, federal aid
2025	-$3.7 to +$0.4 million (narrow deficit/surplus)	Sheriff overtime, rising benefits, sales tax gains
2026	-$46.7 million (projected deficit)	Loss of federal aid, lingering structural costs

While creative uses of AI may inspire new approaches, Milwaukee County's budget fix will ultimately hinge on pragmatic leadership, community input, and ongoing legislative change.

For a comprehensive overview of the 2025 budget, including department-specific figures and strategic plans, visit the Milwaukee County Executive's official 2025 budget update, or explore detailed analysis from the Wisconsin Policy Forum's 2025 fiscal report on Milwaukee County.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) researchers are at the forefront of examining how artificial intelligence shapes consumer trust, particularly when it comes to chatbots and voice clones.

A recent study led by Assistant Professor Scott Schanke revealed that chatbots with human-like qualities - such as using personal names, inserting pauses, or even telling jokes - tend to boost sales and increase customer engagement.

However, these same anthropomorphic features can backfire in emotionally sensitive domains; when chatbots deployed emotional appeals in charitable giving, donor trust decreased.

Voice cloning technology, another rapidly advancing AI field, also raises complex trust issues. Research found that participants were more inclined to trust chatbots mimicking their own voice, even when warned they were interacting with AI. As these tools promise efficiency but also introduce risks like scams and misinformation, UWM experts and state legislators emphasize the importance of transparency and protection measures.

Wisconsin now requires AI content disclosure in political ads, joining the growing list of states regulating AI-powered media to safeguard public trust. The following table summarizes key findings on chatbot and voice clone trust from UWM research:

AI Trait	Context	Consumer Response
Human-like Chatbots	Retail Sales	Increased sales, more negotiation
Bot-like Chatbots	Charitable Giving	Higher donation conversion
Voice Cloning (own voice)	Customer Support	High trust, even with disclosure

As Schanke puts it,

“The way AI interfaces are designed can significantly influence consumer trust and behavior.”

Explore the full UWM study on AI-powered chatbots and trust, learn about Wisconsin's approach to 2025 AI legislation for deepfakes and disclosure, and discover UWM's broader AI leadership in cutting-edge R1 research initiatives.

Wisconsin's dramatic growth in AI data center projects positions the state as both an economic engine and a potential environmental flashpoint. Major tech firms like Microsoft and Meta are investing billions in expansive campuses, such as Microsoft's $3.3 billion, 450-megawatt Mount Pleasant development and Meta's plans for a nearly $1 billion, 2GW facility, with leaders promising thousands of construction jobs, increased property values, and high-tech career opportunities.

These investments, detailed in Wisconsin Watch's deep dive into data center construction and utility impacts, have prompted the state to offer robust incentives - such as sales tax exemptions and discounted electricity rates - to lure these multinationals.

However, the environmental and social costs warrant scrutiny: data centers' enormous energy appetite is projected to triple over five years, driving utility infrastructure expansion - often funded by ratepayers - and increasing reliance on natural gas plants, as discussed in Wisconsin Public Radio's coverage of new gas facility proposals and pollution concerns.

Water usage is another flashpoint; while firms tout innovations like closed-loop cooling that conserves water, experts warn of opaque regulations, competition for local resources, and unresolved long-term impacts, a tension highlighted in PBS Wisconsin's report on data centers' thirst for fresh water.

Project	Investment	Power Usage	Jobs
Microsoft Mount Pleasant	$3.3B	450 MW	2,300 construction; ~500 operational
Meta Central Wisconsin	$837M–$1B	2 GW (planned)	TBD

As policymakers, environmentalists, and community leaders debate whether these centers are a boon or a burden, the answer may depend on ongoing transparency, equitable rate structures, and the success of sustainability commitments amid Wisconsin's AI-powered ambitions.

Milwaukee is rapidly establishing itself as a national tech leader, particularly in artificial intelligence, through a surge of institutional investment and ecosystem collaboration.

The Milwaukee School of Engineering's recent announcement of a $76.5 million Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center and a dedicated School of Advanced Computing underscores its ambition to become a national powerhouse in applied AI education, as MSOE President Dr. John Walz affirms:

“This campaign is more than just a fundraising effort; it is a transformational commitment to expanding opportunities for our students, enhancing our academic programs, advancing cutting-edge research, and strengthening our impact on our many external partners. It will define MSOE's future and ensure that we continue to lead in technical education for generations to come.”

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is forging new ground by launching the nation's first manufacturing-focused AI co-innovation lab at its Connected Systems Institute, directly linking academia with Midwest industry and workforce needs (read more about UWM's manufacturing-focused AI co-innovation lab).

These efforts are amplified by broader initiatives like the MKE Tech Hub Coalition's Synapse program, which supports AI adoption among small and mid-sized manufacturers (learn more about the Synapse program).

With focused development in AI education, cross-sector partnerships, and regional funding support, Milwaukee's AI ecosystem is shaping up to be a model for innovation and talent development on the national stage.