‘AI House’ in downtown Seattle aims to be an entrepreneurial hub

There’s a new AI hub coming to downtown Seattle. A public-private partnership dubbed the “AI House” will be operated by the AI2 Incubator as a gathering space for founders, investors, researchers, and nonprofits.?

• Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (above, right) spoke at the AI2 Incubator’s annual summer party on Thursday, calling the AI House a “big deal.”?
• AI2 Incubator Managing Director Yifan Zhang (above, left) said the hub is “a significant priority for us.” Read more.

??? This week on the GeekWire Podcast, we take a closer look at the earnings reports from Microsoft and Amazon this week, as a litmus test for AI demand and the state of the economy. We also consider the implications of Boeing's new CEO being based in Seattle, discuss a new AI tool that aims to streamline marketing tasks, and weigh in on the backlash to Google's Olympics ad for its Gemini AI chatbot. Read more and listen here.

Sana Biotechnology, Inc. celebrated the beginning of a new chapter on its journey to make drugs that treat complicated diseases, cutting the ribbon outside the company’s new manufacturing facility in Bothell, Wash., on Friday. Read more.

?? Upcoming events: Tech and startup community gatherings on our radar next week in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.

• Aug. 3: Seattle Tech Week: Startup Panel Discussion
• Aug. 8: AI, UI/UX & Product Design: Exploring the Latest Product & UX Innovations Shaping Digital Experiences
• Aug. 8: Cricket Elite Carnival: Swinging into Action!” Play, Network, Excel

Check out the GeekWire Calendar for more.

Hot Links:

• Intel is cutting 15% of its workforce, and the layoffs will likely impact the company’s employees based in Oregon. (OregonLive)
• Bezos Expeditions, Jeff Bezos’ family office, is investing heavily in AI. (CNBC)
• Seattle Children’s teamed up with Mojang Studios and Hive Games to create a Minecraft server that lets pediatric patients explore a virtual version of the hospital. (Seattle Children’s)

SPONSOR MESSAGE: GeekWire on the Road: Spokane. Washington state’s second-largest city is the hub of an ambitious regional tech community seeking to leverage new realities to achieve its longstanding goals, as GeekWire reports in this special series. Read more.

Sign up here to receive GeekWire's daily newsletter in your email inbox each day at 11 a.m. PT.