Software development consistently ranks among the jobs that artificial intelligence is most likely to displace over the next decade, with customer service, graphic design, accounting and data entry also topping the vulnerability lists. Entry-level workers and those in Generation Z — people in their teens and 20s today — also could be hit hard, as experts predict AI will most easily automate the type of repetitive work they tend to do starting out.

As data centers increasingly dominate conversations around the country, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and two partners have published a one-stop shop to help guide development. 

Umatilla Electric Cooperative in Hermiston is one of six utilities across Washington and Oregon that have absorbed the bulk of energy demands of data centers in the region. A growing number of utilities are using booming data center demand to justify skirting climate rules in both states that mostly ban the build-out of new gas infrastructure, citing the need for regional energy reliability. 

A construction trades group is sounding the alarm on more communities restricting data center projects when such projects have boosted construction spending and hiring, shoring up declines in other parts of the building sector. 

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of daily life but the infrastructure that supports it is something many Americans want no part of. 

A report from a member of Washington state’s congressional delegation is blasting the Trump administration for an AI pilot program that significantly increased wait times for seniors to receive health care and has prioritized care denials over a patient’s doctor’s recommendation. 

Have thoughts on how data centers could impact electric resources and consumers in Washington state? State officials want to hear from you. 

Planning officials in Oregon’s Morrow County recently approved a proposal from Amazon to build a data center campus with buildings encompassing 816,000 square feet just east of the Boardman Airport. 

Kennewick School District is one of 10 Washington school districts selected for a Microsoft program to expand artificial intelligence skills among the state’s future workforce. 

Research programs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory may be facing more belt tightening if President Donald Trump’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year is implemented.