People everywhere followed along as Artemis astronauts made their historic mission around the moon.

But what made that possible was research -- and that kind of scientific discovery is in jeopardy after ongoing cuts to federal research funding.

For decades, the University of Washington has received more federal research money than almost any other public university.

And the research that's come out of the institution has fed the growth of the region’s biggest employers… and its most innovative startups.

On today's episode: What could cuts to federal research funding mean for Seattle’s future economy?

Do you have a story idea for us? We'd love to hear about it. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

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.

Warning: this episode mentions suicide.

Artificial intelligence powered chatbots have become unavoidable. We use them to search, get advice, and even for companionship. But getting close to an AI comes with real and serious risks.

Washington state leaders want to do something about that. Two new state laws passed this year that require AI-modified content to be traceable, and limits the kinds of conversations these bots can have with minors.

On today's episode, Monica sits down with journalists Kashmir Hill from the New York Times and Jeff Horwitz from Reuters to talk about their reporting on AI chatbots, and whether these new state regulations can protect us from their risks.

This episode was recorded at a recent live event put on by the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public at the Seattle Public Library.

GUESTS:
Kashmir Hill, features writer on the business desk at The New York Times, covering technology and privacy
Jeff Horwitz, technology reporter at Reuters

Do you have a story idea for us? We'd love to hear about it. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

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.

Planet Money has been making economic news fun since 2008. And now it's the start of a new chapter for the beloved podcast... a whole book’s worth of chapters in fact.

Their new book is called Planet Money: A guide to the economic forces that shape your life.

On today's episode, Monica and Joshua sat down with Kenny Malone, host of Planet Money, and Alex Mayyasi, business reporter and author of the book, to talk about the hidden laws that control our economy, and how they’re affecting us here in Seattle.

If you want to meet Alex and Kenny in person, they will be at Town Hall in Seattle on Monday, April 13th. You can grab your tickets here.

Do you have a story idea for us? We'd love to hear about it. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org.

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.