One of the more seamless aspects on a recent trip to Japan was being able to simply “tap” my iPhone to pay for subway rides in Tokyo. That frictionless transit payment capability, common in many major cities worldwide, isn’t available in Seattle. But that’s about to change.

Seattle’s ORCA transit system is rolling out an upgrade that will let riders pay fares by tapping their credit card or smartphone — no dedicated ORCA card required.

The new “Tap to Pay” feature will let riders across the Seattle region use Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or American Express cards, as well as mobile wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

A soft launch is scheduled to begin Feb. 2 on the G Line, a bus rapid transit route, before expanding system-wide later in February — in advance of this summer’s World Cup in Seattle, as well as the debut of the new light rail line across Lake Washington connecting the region’s tech hubs.

The Tap to Pay rollout was formally briefed to the ORCA Joint Board during its meeting this week.

The technical upgrade is aimed at making transit easier for occasional riders, tourists, and anyone who doesn’t already carry an ORCA card — while modernizing fare payment across the region’s patchwork of transit agencies.

ORCA’s operations team worked with German tech company Init to implement Visa’s Mass Transit Transaction (MTT) payment model, which allows ORCA fare readers to function as point-of-sale devices capable of securely processing contactless credit card payments in real time.

During the soft-launch phase, riders who tap a personal credit or debit card will be charged a flat $3 adult fare and won’t be able to transfer to other transit services outside the G Line. Once the feature launches across the full ORCA system, transfers will work the same way they do today for ORCA card users, including the standard two-hour transfer window across most participating agencies, according to ORCA officials.

The system will support one rider per card and adult fares only, meaning reduced-fare programs such as ORCA LIFT, Senior, Disabled, and Youth cards won’t be available through Tap to Pay.

Fare inspectors will be able to validate contactless payments by asking riders to show whatever card they used to pay.

In a statement to GeekWire, ORCA officials emphasized that the new payment option is additive, not a replacement. Riders who receive employer-subsidized ORCA cards or rely on discounted fares are encouraged to continue using traditional ORCA cards. Cash and physical tickets will still be accepted.

Tap to Pay also won’t be available on every service. The feature will not initially work on Washington State Ferries, the Seattle Monorail, Community Transit DART, ZIP, or Pierce Transit Runner, according to board presentation slides.

Some users on Reddit this week complained about needing to remove their physical ORCA card from their wallet to avoid getting a credit card charge when tapping at a reader.

Notably, using an ORCA card inside Apple Wallet is a separate feature and is not part of this launch. ORCA officials said they remain committed to mobile payment options but declined to share additional details or timelines. ORCA launched a Google Wallet feature for Android users in 2024.

• Side note: Apple Wallet has a feature called Express Mode that lets transit riders pay for fares without waking or unlocking their device.
• And for those who want to purchase tickets via an app: Transit GO allows iOS and Android users to pay fares on King Country Metro buses, Sound Transit trains, and other regional transit services using in-app ticketing.

The date is set for a transportation milestone that could impact how thousands of Seattle-area commuters travel between home and work, especially at the region’s major tech hubs.

Sound Transit announced Friday that the “Crosslake Connection” of the Link light rail system will open to the public on March 28.

The route will carry light rail passengers across a floating bridge for the first time, serving as a 7.4-mile extension of the 2 Line and ultimately connecting downtown Seattle to downtown Bellevue and the Redmond Technology station at Microsoft’s headquarters campus.

• Are you a tech worker looking forward to using light rail to commute between Seattle and the Eastside? We’d love to hear from you: tips@geekwire.com

Testing of trains on the bridge, between new stations at Mercer Island and Judkins Park, began in September. A 6.6-mile East Link segment of the 2 Line, including eight stations, opened last April.

The entire Seattle-Eastside line — plagued by planning, construction and cost issues — has taken nearly 18 years to deliver, The Seattle Times noted after a test ride this week.

The region has changed substantially in that time.

The tech boom and subsequent population explosion in Seattle clogged area roadways, turning a roughly 13-mile commute between Seattle and Microsoft HQ into an often time-consuming headache.

Bellevue has also grown, thanks in part to Amazon, as the tech giant has shifted thousands of workers to various buildings in that city. Roughly 50,000 corporate employees work in Seattle.

While Microsoft, Amazon, Expedia and other companies run private buses between offices in Seattle and Eastside cities for their employees, light rail service adds another wrinkle to the commute landscape.

Sound Transit projects that the fully integrated 2 Line will serve about 43,000 to 52,000 daily riders in 2026.

Trains over Lake Washington will operate at speeds of 55 mph, running every 10 minutes from approximately 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., Monday – Saturday and from 6 a.m. to midnight on Sundays.

It’s no small engineering feat to run tracks and get a train to cross a floating bridge. The Seattle Times explained some of the challenges related to fluctuating lake levels and existing bridge infrastructure. This video also breaks down what goes into it:

AIM Intelligent Machines (AIM), a Seattle-area startup developing software that lets bulldozers and excavators operate on their own, announced $4.9 million in new contracts with the U.S. Air Force to build and repair military bases and airfields.

Founded in 2021, AIM got its start in mining and construction, and is now expanding to defense applications. AIM’s technology works with existing equipment and is designed for dangerous or hard-to-reach places, including areas where equipment might be dropped in by parachute. One person can remotely manage an entire site of working vehicles.

For airfield repairs, the company’s tech can scan the area using sensors to create a 3D map of damage. Then autonomous machines clear debris and can repair the runway — all remotely and without people on the ground. Military advisors say the approach could speed up construction, reduce risk to personnel, and make it easier to deploy equipment in tough conditions.

Founded in 2021 and led by longtime engineers, AIM raised $50 million last year from investors including Khosla Ventures, General Catalyst, Human Capital. The company is led by CEO Adam Sadilek, who previously spent nine years at Google working on confidential projects.

In a LinkedIn post this week, Sadilek wrote that “we’re asking the wrong questions about AI and work,” arguing that automation will enable construction companies to build more with their existing teams.

“The top line grows, but the bottom line doesn’t get ‘optimized’ into oblivion,” he wrote. “For example, each autonomous dozer we deploy uncovers, depending on the mineral type and current market price, between $3 million and $17 million in additional ore each season. Rather than replacing people, that gives them leverage. And yes, cost savings show up – fuel, maintenance, wear – but they’re not the main event.”

He added: “Instead of focusing on whether AI removes jobs, we should be focusing on whether we’ll use it to finally do more of the things we’ve always wanted but never had enough capacity to build.”

Like a repeat visitor, a bill to tax short-term rental bookings is back in front of the Washington State Legislature — and drawing renewed resistance from vacation rental giant Airbnb.

Senate Bill 5576 would allow counties, cities and towns to impose a tax of up to 4% on short-term rentals used by vacation guests on platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo. The bill failed to advance during the 2025 session.

The aim of the bill — and companion House Bill 1763 — is to address a shortage of funding for housing, especially in cities and towns where short-term rentals have had an impact on the availability of affordable properties for people who live and work in tourist-heavy locales.

“We are absolutely going to pursue the policy again this session to create critical new revenue streams for cities and counties struggling with our housing crisis,” Sen. Liz Lovelett (D-Anacortes), the prime sponsor for the bill, told GeekWire. “This remains a smart approach to ensure that more resources are available to build workforce housing across the state, especially in areas where seasonal tourism drives up demand for vacation homes and reduces the availability of long-term rentals.”

This is the eighth year that Lovelett has sponsored a short-term rental tax proposal. Last session she estimated that the state could use hundreds of thousands, if not a million, new housing units over the next 20 years, and that somewhere near 35,000 units are wrapped up as short-term rentals.

Last year’s bill made it out of the Senate but was not called forward for a vote on the House floor prior to the April 16 cutoff.

San Francisco-based Airbnb pushed back on the legislation last year and is back to do the same this session. The company’s political action committee in Washington, called Airbnb Helps Our State Thrive (HOST) PAC, advocates for residents and communities who rely on home sharing and would be negatively impacted by a new tax. A companion website urges Washingtonians to “say no to the vacation tax.”

“SB5576 and HB1763 will make it more expensive for Washington families to travel within the state, while failing to meaningfully address local housing affordability challenges,” Airbnb Public Policy Manager Jordan Mitchell said in a statement to GeekWire. “The proposals target residents who share their homes to earn supplemental income, giving large hotel chains the upper hand.”

Mitchell said Airbnb supports efforts to improve housing affordability in Washington state, but the tax legislation misses the mark and data-backed policies are needed to bolster affordable housing supply. He referenced Senate Bill 6026, which aims to allow and encourage residential development in commercial and mixed-use zones.

Vrbo, owned by Seattle-based travel giant Expedia Group, views the bill as a better alternative than an outright ban on short-term rentals.

“We support SB 5576 and see the measure as a helpful affordable housing tool and an important pressure release valve for communities who might otherwise pursue more punitive and harmful measures such as an outright ban on the activity,” Richard de Sam Lazaro, Expedia Group’s head of government affairs for North America, said in a statement to GeekWire.

Some cities across Washington have already enacted their own restrictions or regulations. The Seattle City Council approved taxes back in 2017 and the city requires licensing for hosts to operate. In other states, far harsher restrictions have been implemented, including an outright ban on short-term rentals in New York City. 

Airbnb says its Washington hosts play an important role in strengthening the state’s tourism economy.

In 2024, short-term rentals in Washington helped generate approximately $4.7 billion in economic activity for the state and supported over 35,000 local jobs, according to a study from The Association of Washington Businesses and local economic consultant CAI.

Short-term rentals and visitor spending contributed more than $300 million in state and local fiscal revenues in Washington in 2024, according to the report.

As farmers grapple with extreme weather, supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, Washington state is betting that artificial intelligence could help secure the future of agriculture.

A new initiative called Growing with AI will bring together the state’s tech giants and diverse farming community to tackle the industry’s most pressing challenges. Supporters say this is the perfect place to launch such an effort: uniting the region’s robust agricultural economy with hundreds of different high-value crops in Eastern Washington, with its world-class tech and AI companies on the western side of the state.

“Our farmers are dealing with so many different external forces, mostly beyond their control,” said Melanie Roberts, executive director of the Washington State Academy of Sciences. “So what if Washington can get ahead of this and be intentional about how we use AI in agriculture?”

The initiative, led by the publicly funded Academy of Sciences, kicked off earlier this month with the first of six free informational webinars. The next session is Jan. 23. The effort will culminate in April with an invitation-only workshop where past participants will strategize action items.

There are already a number of AI-driven, ag tech companies based in Washington, including Carbon Robotics, which manufactures autonomous farming machines that zap weeds with lasers. Carbon is based in Seattle but also runs a manufacturing facility on the other side of the state in Richland, Wash.

While geography might separate the state’s tech and ag communities, Carbon CEO and founder Paul Mikesell said the two are natural collaborators.

“Farmers and technologists see the world in similar ways,” Mikesell said. “We can get things done. We tackle problems head on, put in a lot of hard work …. So in a lot of ways, farmers act a lot like engineers because they’re trying to design solutions.”

To be successful in this space, he emphasized the importance of genuinely partnering with farmers to learn their specific challenges rather than coming in with predetermined solutions. Mikesell said entrepreneurs need to develop their technology in the literal field to see firsthand how it performs.

Ananth Kalyanaraman, a computer science professor at Washington State University and expert in ag tech applications, highlighted several potential AI applications:

• weather and climate data analysis and modeling to provide guidance on planting and harvesting schedules and selection of which varietals to use;
• insights into the amount and timing of irrigation, fertilizing and pest control;
• robotics to support tree pruning and crop harvesting;
• automated devices like those provided by Carbon Robotics to remove weeds, damaging insects and rocks.

This is the first time the Academy of Sciences, which educates public leaders on scientific matters, has created a series focused on one issue and incorporated a call to action.

Kalyanaraman noted that federal support of AI in the ag sector has been limited, particularly given the importance of building a more robust food-supply system. Farming hasn’t been made a priority compared to other areas, he added, but the need is urgent and Washington can help lead.

“We should be able to provide an exemplar to the rest of the nation,” Kalyanaraman said, “in terms of how to most effectively and responsibly embrace AI into a complex, decision-driven system like agriculture.”

Washington Sen. Patty Murray believes the future of artificial intelligence shouldn’t be dictated solely by billionaires and shareholders.

The longtime lawmaker toured research facilities at the University of Washington on Friday after securing $10 million in federal funding that will allow the UW to expand the infrastructure needed for data-intensive AI workloads.

Sen. Murray said the funding will help provide a counterweight to AI development driven primarily by private capital.

“If just billionaires are creating and using AI for their own projects that make money, then we lose out on most of the benefits of AI,” Murray told GeekWire.

Universities play a critical role in ensuring AI advances serve public needs, Murray said, pointing to applications ranging from healthcare and environmental research to workforce training and job creation.

The new funding, which comes through Congressionally Directed Spending in the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, will support Tillicum, the UW’s next-generation computing platform that launched in October.

University leaders say the investment will enable faster research cycles and broader access — while reducing reliance on commercial cloud providers.

“This allows us to stay at the cutting edge of AI and AI research,” said Andrew Connolly, director of the eScience Institute.

Unlike private companies that ultimately answer to shareholders, public universities answer to taxpayers, said Magdalena Balazinska, director of the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. “That means our goal is to do what’s best for society,” she said.

Universities nationwide have struggled to keep pace with the rapid growth of AI computing demands, as private companies dominate access to large-scale infrastructure.

Balazinska called the new funding a “very significant amount,” saying that even relatively modest investments can be transformative in an academic setting. She added that access to computing resources is often the first question prospective faculty ask when considering whether they can be successful at the UW.

Murray on Friday visited the UW’s eScience Institute, a data science and AI research hub for the university, and spoke with students about their work. A recurring theme during the tour was the importance of keeping sensitive data on campus.

Several students demonstrated AI projects that rely on large volumes of personal or scientific data, including a health-focused system that uses voice input and AI analysis to track symptoms and generate summaries for doctors. Researchers said developing such tools on UW-owned infrastructure avoids sending sensitive data to third-party cloud providers. Having in-house compute also allows students and faculty to iterate more quickly.

Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, framed the funding as foundational infrastructure and key to the economy in her home state.

“If you don’t have the computers, if you don’t have the basic infrastructure, you’re stymied,” she said. “So this benefits everybody — whether it’s creating jobs, whether it’s creating better healthcare, whether it’s creating more innovators who come here to Washington state to be able to create jobs for the future and make a better way of life for all of us.”

Murray also helped secure an additional $3 million for new fan blades at the UW’s Kirsten Wind Tunnel, and $1.5 million for improvements to UW’s Radiocarbon Lab. The broader federal spending bill boosts funding for other scientific agencies such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology, pushing back on proposals from President Trump to sharply cut federal research spending.

A bill to open up strip malls, big-box stores, and other commercial land for housing development across Washington state gets its first hearing today, with what might seem an unlikely supporter: Microsoft.

The tech giant is urging lawmakers to pass SB 6026, which would flip the default setting on commercial zoning: instead of requiring developers to seek permission for housing on commercial land, cities of more than 30,000 people would have to allow it in qualifying areas.

In other words, no more lengthy battles to turn half-empty strip malls into apartments.

It’s one piece of a broader strategy that Microsoft is laying out after more than five years and $750 million invested in affordable housing across the region, mostly in the form of a revolving loan fund. In a report released this week, the company makes the case that Washington’s housing crisis is solvable, but only if policymakers treat it as a systemic problem rather than a collection of isolated issues. 

The report draws on lessons learned from Microsoft’s housing investments, which the company says are on track to create or preserve more than 16,000 affordable homes so far across King County and the broader region.

“We greatly underestimated the size, scope, and complexity of the problem,” acknowledged Jane Broom, senior director of Microsoft Philanthropies, in an interview with GeekWire this week. “We didn’t quite realize the interconnectedness of the housing sector, from shelter space to low-income housing to workforce housing to market-rate housing.”

She explained, “If you underperform in one of those areas, it greatly impacts the whole.”

Why does Microsoft care about housing? Broom said it comes down to economic opportunity and quality of life. Housing affordability has risen to become the top concern among Washington voters, she said, threatening the state’s ability to attract and retain workers.

Broom pointed to anecdotes about school teachers and essential workers commuting 90 minutes each way because they can’t afford to live closer, and young professionals leaving the region entirely because they can’t find affordable housing.

Microsoft added housing to its portfolio of community investments in 2019, alongside longstanding commitments to education, transportation, and arts and culture. The company’s report this week lays out a four-point plan based on its lessons learned:

• Unlock more land for housing, especially underused commercial property like strip malls and big-box stores, by making residential development the default in commercial zones.
• Fix the permitting process to make it faster and more predictable, removing unnecessary delays that add costs and drive developers out of the market.
• Lower construction costs through innovation in materials and methods, expanded tax incentives, and use of AI to streamline regulatory compliance.
• Build long-term public-private partnerships with clear accountability, leveraging private and philanthropic capital alongside public investment.

Another long-term opportunity mentioned in the report is AI. Broom said Microsoft is working with tech companies that serve municipal governments to integrate AI into permitting systems, helping to sort through complex building codes and regulatory requirements more quickly.

Some developers are already experimenting with the technology, she said, uploading building codes and municipal regulations to AI systems that can automatically flag whether a proposed design will comply, or how to optimize plans for housing affordability.

Microsoft isn’t the only local tech giant addressing the housing crisis. Amazon has committed more than $3.6 billion to affordable housing through its Housing Equity Fund, with more than $780 million directed toward the Seattle area since 2021. 

The two companies have taken different approaches. Microsoft has focused primarily on the Eastside and middle-income housing, while Amazon has pursued project-by-project investments targeting lower-income households.

However, they are often on the same page on housing policy, Broom said.

“Thematically, we’ve always been aligned and supportive,” she said. “This is really hard and complicated, and this state is making it much more difficult than it really needs to be.”

Editor’s Note: Microsoft underwrites GeekWire’s independent coverage of civic issues. Learn more about underwritten and sponsored content on GeekWire.

While artificial intelligence is generating all the buzz, it was Washington state’s climate tech and healthcare innovation that got shoutouts during Gov. Bob Ferguson’s State of the State address on Tuesday.

The speech largely focused on this winter’s epic flooding in Western Washington, the affordability and housing crisis, transportation infrastructure needs and Ferguson’s support for a “millionaire’s tax” targeting the state’s wealthiest residents.

The traditional tech sector — which accounts for roughly 22% of the state economy — was largely absent from the governor’s address. But he did call out groundbreaking innovation happening across Washington.

Ferguson praised Helion Energy’s efforts to build what could become the first commercial fusion reactor — a world-changing accomplishment, provided the device works as planned. Helion, based in Everett, Wash., broke ground on the Orion facility last summer and aims to get the Eastern Washington plant operating by 2028. Microsoft agreed to buy energy from the plant if Helion is successful in harnessing fusion power.

The governor also called out last week’s official launch of the Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Accelerator, an effort to support R&D and build out a marketplace for low-carbon aviation fuels. The event, which was held north of Seattle, brought together Boeing, Amazon, Alaska Airlines and others.

In his speech, Ferguson framed the initiative as “an opportunity for our state to, once again, set an example and set the pace for clean energy investment.”

And he gave a nod to the University of Washington, Fred Hutch Cancer Center and the Allen Institute as “part of a globally recognized ecosystem working on next generation drug discovery and treatments.” The Seattle area is a hub for academics and startups developing AI-driven therapies, with many building on innovations from the UW lab of Nobel Laureate David Baker.

“These are just a few of the reasons why the state of our state is strong, but I am clear eyed,” said Ferguson, who is navigating a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall. “I’m clear eyed about the areas where we must do better, and my first proposed budget is laser focused on those improvements to keep our growth going.”

Washington state lawmakers are taking another run at regulating artificial intelligence, rolling out a slate of bills this session aimed at curbing discrimination, limiting AI use in schools, and imposing new obligations on companies building emotionally responsive AI products.

The state has passed narrow AI-related laws in the past — including limits on facial recognition and distributing deepfakes — but broader efforts have often stalled, including proposals last year focused on AI development transparency and disclosure.

This year’s bills focus on children, mental health, and high-stakes decisions like hiring, housing, and lending. The bills could affect HR software vendors, ed-tech companies, mental health startups, and generative AI platforms operating in Washington.

The proposals come as Congress continues to debate AI oversight with little concrete action, leaving states to experiment with their own guardrails. An interim report issued recently by the Washington state AI Task Force notes that the federal government’s “hands-off approach” to AI has created “a crucial regulatory gap that leaves Washingtonians vulnerable.”

Here’s a look at five AI-related bills that were pre-filed before the official start of the legislative session, which kicks off Monday.

HB 2157

This sweeping bill would regulate so-called high-risk AI systems used to make or significantly influence decisions about employment, housing, credit, health care, education, insurance, and parole.

Companies that develop or deploy these systems in Washington would be required to assess and mitigate discrimination risks, disclose when people are interacting with AI, and explain how AI contributed to adverse decisions. Consumers could also receive explanations for decisions influenced by AI.

The proposal would not apply to low-risk tools like spam filters or basic customer-service chatbots, nor to AI used strictly for research. Still, it could affect a wide range of tech companies, including HR software vendors, fintech firms, insurance platforms, and large employers using automated screening tools. The bill would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2027.

SB 5984

This bill, requested by Gov. Bob Ferguson, focuses on AI companion chatbots and would require repeated disclosures that an AI chatbot is not human, prohibit sexually explicit content for minors, and mandate suicide-prevention protocols. Violations would fall under Washington’s Consumer Protection Act.

The bill’s findings warn that AI companion chatbots can blur the line between human and artificial interaction and may contribute to emotional dependency or reinforce harmful ideation, including self-harm, particularly among minors.

These rules could directly impact mental health and wellness startups experimenting with AI-driven therapy or emotional support tools — including companies exploring AI-based mental health services, such as Seattle startup NewDays.

Babak Parviz, CEO of NewDays and a former leader at Amazon, said he believes the bill has good intentions but added that it would be difficult to enforce as “building a long-term relationship is so vaguely defined here.”

Parviz said it’s important to examine systems that interact with minors to make sure they don’t cause harm. “For critical AI systems that interact with people, it’s important to have a layer of human supervision,” he said. “For example, our AI system in clinic use is under the supervision of an expert human clinician.”

OpenAI and Common Sense Media are partnering on a ballot initiative in California also focused on chatbots and minors.

SB 5870

A related bill goes even further, creating a potential civil liability when an AI system is alleged to have contributed to a person’s suicide.

Under this bill, companies could face lawsuits if their AI system encouraged self-harm, provided instructions, or failed to direct users to crisis resources — and would be barred from arguing that the harm was caused solely by autonomous AI behavior.

If enacted, the measure would explicitly link AI system design and operation to wrongful-death claims. The bill comes amid growing legal scrutiny of companion-style chatbots, including lawsuits involving Character.AI and OpenAI.

SB 5956

Targets AI use in K–12 schools, banning predictive “risk scores” that label students as likely troublemakers and prohibiting real-time biometric surveillance such as facial recognition.

Schools would also be barred from using AI as the sole basis for suspensions, expulsions, or referrals to law enforcement, reinforcing that human judgment must remain central to discipline decisions.

Educators and civil rights advocates have raised alarms about predictive tools that can amplify disparities in discipline.

SB 5886

This proposal updates Washington’s right-of-publicity law to explicitly cover AI-generated forged digital likenesses, including convincing voice clones and synthetic images.

Using someone’s AI-generated likeness for commercial purposes without consent could expose companies to liability, reinforcing that existing identity protections apply in the AI era — and not just for celebrities and public figures.

A bill introduced in the Washington state Legislature would ban employers from requiring or pressuring workers to be microchipped, a practice lawmakers want to prohibit before it ever becomes an issue.

House Bill 2303 was prefiled this week by Reps. Brianna Thomas (D-34) and Lisa Parshley (D-22).

The bill would prohibit employers from requiring, requesting or coercing employees to have microchips implanted in their bodies as a condition of employment, and would bar the use of subcutaneous tracking or identification technology for workplace management or surveillance.

It aims to protect worker privacy and bodily autonomy by establishing strict penalties for violations, including civil penalties starting at $10,000 and the right for aggrieved workers to sue for damages and injunctive relief.

While there’s no known instance of an employer seeking such action, Thomas told GeekWire the bill is a preemptive move.

“We are getting out ahead of the problem because the practice of requiring these chips is too dangerous to wait for it to show up in Washington,” she said Thursday via email. “An employee with a microchip stops being an employee — they are essentially being dehumanized into corporate equipment.”

The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs reported that internationally, more than 50,000 people have elected to receive microchip implants to serve as their swipe keys, credit cards, and more. The organization noted that the technology is especially popular in Sweden, where chip implants are more widely accepted for gym access, e-tickets on transit systems, and to store emergency contact information.

HB 2303 would add a new section to Chapter 49.44 of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), titled “Violations — Prohibited Practices.” The chapter serves as a catch-all for labor regulations that define and prohibit specific unfair or illegal activities by employers, employees, and labor representatives.

The legislation is similar to laws passed in Arkansas, California, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin, Indiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.

“Workers cannot legitimately consent to a program because of the power dynamic between them and the employer,” Thomas said. “Implanted chips have no place in a work environment.”

Nevada is “arguably the most restrictive” on microchip implants and permanent identification markers, according to the Carnegie Council. Its law prohibits people from voluntarily electing to receive such markers in Nevada.

Thomas said HB 2303 does not go as far as Nevada’s restrictions, noting that workers would still be free to make their own choices outside the workplace.

Thomas said she believes companies will eventually pitch the technology to their employees by telling them it’s more convenient and easier — you don’t have to worry about forgetting your work access badge, etc.

“Many times convenience causes people to view things too narrowly and they don’t see the big picture,” she said. “The power dynamic between an employer and an employee makes true, uncoerced consent impossible. This is about making sure workers not only have the option but also consider all the factors when these programs are presented to them.”

The Carnegie Council also reported on the privacy, data security, and health safety concerns that microchips present, including from technologists who worry about IoT vulnerabilities in sensors and network architecture that could be exploited by hackers.

While the Washington proposal targets simple Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, a more sophisticated wave of “brain-computer interfaces” (BCIs) is rapidly moving toward the mainstream.

Elon Musk wants to ramp up production of his Neuralink brain‑computer interface chips in 2026. He envisions the technology helping people with neurological conditions while eventually enabling humans to interact directly with computers. The company plans to make the surgical implantation process nearly fully automated to scale the procedure.

Washington’s HB 2303 is scheduled for a public hearing Jan. 14 in the House Committee on Labor & Workplace Standards.

Washington State Ferries is taking an initial step toward offering public Wi-Fi service at ferry terminals and aboard vessels.

The agency issued a report in December proposing a limited Wi-Fi pilot at a single terminal — Bremerton — and on a single vessel, the M/V Chimacum.

The effort is driven by state legislation passed last year directing the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to deploy a Wi-Fi pilot within existing resources and report on viability, costs, and potential free or fee-based models.

Washington State Ferries (WSF), which operates under WSDOT, is working through the procurement process for a vendor for the pilot program, according to a spokesperson. The program is limited in scope and any expansion or continuation would be subject to direction from lawmakers, the spokesperson noted.

The report estimates that the pilot could cost between $100,000 and $150,000, which includes equipment, installation, and minimal vendor support for the pilot period. WSF estimates that expanding public Wi-Fi across terminals and vessels statewide would likely require a multi-million-dollar capital investment, along with ongoing annual operating and maintenance costs in the seven-figure range.

WSF currently provides no public internet service anywhere in its ferry system. The report references a private-sector attempt to offer Wi-Fi in the late 2000s that ultimately failed due to high infrastructure costs and insufficient revenue. WSF previously partnered with wireless networking company Boingo on a fee-based Wi-Fi service in 2008, but that ended in 2016.

The new pilot could determine whether modern networking technology and vendor models change that equation. WSF plans to measure how many passengers actually use Wi-Fi, how much bandwidth they consume, service reliability, and what kind of staffing and vendor support is required to keep the system running.

Final costs for a potential broader rollout would depend on factors such as how many terminals and vessels are covered, the level of bandwidth provided, and whether service is free, paid, or a mix of both.

If WSF proceeds as planned, the pilot would move forward in 2026, with installation in the spring, and an operational test period running from May through August, according to the report. WSF would analyze the data in late summer and deliver findings and recommendations in September 2026.

The agency flagged several risks, including cybersecurity requirements, potential strain on staff resources, infrastructure limitations on older vessels and terminals, and the challenge of managing passenger expectations for a temporary test program. Any public Wi-Fi network would need to be fully segmented from ferry operational systems and comply with state IT security and accessibility standards.

Joe Nguyen is the new president and chief executive officer of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the organization announced Monday.

Less than a week after revealing that he was stepping down from his role as director of Washington state’s Department of Commerce, Nguyen was confirmed as the head of Seattle’s business advocacy organization.

A tech veteran who previously worked at Microsoft and Expedia, Nguyen previously served in the Washington State Senate representing Seattle’s 34th Legislative District. He said his focus as Chamber CEO will be on ensuring the region is an attractive place to do business, grow companies, and create jobs.

“The Chamber plays a critical role in advocating for policy outcomes that support businesses and our region’s economic stability,” Nguyen said in a news release. “My priority is to work closely with our members and policymakers to strengthen the business climate, ensure smart use of public resources, and advance solutions that support job creation, affordability, and a safe, thriving regional economy.”

The Chamber job has been open since Rachel Smith left as the organization’s president and CEO to become president of the Washington Roundtable. Nguyen succeeds interim Chamber President and CEO Gabriella Buono.

“He brings an incisive, results-oriented approach and the ability to work across sectors to advance a strong, competitive economy for the Seattle region,” Chamber Board Chair Teresa Hutson, a Microsoft executive, said in a statement.

Nguyen told Commerce employees last Tuesday that he was leaving after one year on the job, but he didn’t say where he was headed. Rumors began circulating online and among business lobbyists in recent days, according to the Washington State Standard, which noted that Nguyen is the first member of Gov. Bob Ferguson’s executive cabinet to quit, though others have retired.

At Commerce, Nguyen managed a budget of $7.9 billion and administered more than 100 programs in the areas of housing, energy, community and economic development, local government and business services.

The Seattle Chamber is an independent business organization with 2,600 members.

Nguyen, who will officially assume the Chamber role at the end of January, is a lifelong Washington resident and graduate of Seattle University, where he earned degrees in finance and humanities.

Previously:

• Can one agency reboot Washington state? Commerce chief brings tech to the task
• Techie-turned-lawmaker uses his Microsoft chops to challenge the status quo as a state senator

In the city that’s home to Microsoft, Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe isn’t just watching technological innovation from the sidelines — he’s integrating it into his department’s daily operations.

Lowe, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, views Redmond as the ideal staging ground for a new era of policing that capitalizes on advancements ranging from drones as first responders to artificial intelligence. When he became chief six years ago, his vision was to transform the department into a premier agency; technology has been a cornerstone of that mission.

“The public safety tech space is blowing up right now with a lot of interest and investment and VC money,” Lowe told GeekWire. “Being in Microsoft’s backyard doesn’t hurt, but it’s not like Microsoft is cutting checks for the Redmond Police Department.”

Lowe, who also runs his own public safety tech consultancy, primarily seeks tools that increase staff efficiency and simplify officer tasks. An AI-powered investigative platform from San Francisco-based Longeye fits that bill. Longeye ingests digital information such as surveillance video, phone records, crime scene photos and interviews to analyze data at speeds that exceed human review.

Lowe recently told KING 5 how the tool helped investigators confirm key evidence in a cold case by combing through 60 hours of jail phone calls in minutes.

However, he maintains that such tools are part of the equation rather than the total solution.

“It’s really important for law enforcement agencies and officers not to get lazy and think AI is the answer, because you still have to corroborate whatever that is,” Lowe said.

While AI is a newer addition to Lowe’s tech toolbox, the department has a history of technical adoption. Previous deployments included adhesive GPS trackers fired at cars to catch fleeing suspects and handheld narcotics analyzers that can scan through transparent packaging and identify more than 530 controlled substances, such as fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin.

But drones — specifically drones as first responders — are Lowe’s pride and joy. He equates their impact on modern policing to the era when handheld radios replaced police call boxes.

With a current staff of approximately 85 officers, Lowe employs two full-time drone pilots operating from a flight control center equipped with autonomous drones from Seattle-based Brinc and Skydio. Integrated directly into the department’s dispatch system, the drones can launch and arrive on-scene in under two minutes.

Lowe recalls a recent call regarding an individual experiencing a mental health crisis on a street corner. The person was screaming at the sky and waving his arms.

“Typical police response is you send an officer on the ground to make contact. We’ve seen those calls escalate and go wrong,” Lowe said.

Instead, a drone arrived in 30 seconds. From 250 feet, a pilot observed the individual, determined no crime was occurring and no one was in danger, and watched as the person eventually walked away.

“We canceled the ground unit response. There was no need for police contact,” Lowe said.

To address privacy concerns, Lowe implemented a “horizon-first” policy: drone cameras are pointed at the sky during transit and only tilt down once they reach the specific GPS coordinates of a call.

While drones have been a “game changer,” other technologies have hit speed bumps. The Redmond City Council recently paused the department’s license plate reader program following regional concerns about data sharing and whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could access the data.

Redmond PD started deploying Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) this summer to alert officers and analysts when a vehicle linked to a crime, missing person, stolen vehicle, or other critical incident is detected.

Lowe pushed back on what he calls “hysteria” surrounding the technology, arguing that cameras have a proven, valuable place in law enforcement.

“There is no expectation of privacy in a public place on a tax-funded road,” Lowe said, noting that Washington’s tolling cameras often capture more personal data (including driver faces) for longer periods than his ALPR systems. “The privacy concerns, while I understand they are legitimate, they also have to be balanced against what the law says.”

Because the City of Redmond signed a contract to launch the ALPR technology, Lowe noted that the council must now consider any legal ramifications of a potential breach of contract.

Reflecting on a long career that began in an innovative department in Santa Monica, Calif., under then-Chief Jim Butts, Lowe feels fortunate to have technology embedded in his “cop DNA.”

Now he laughs at how much the job description has evolved.

“When we all got into this, we wanted to go out there and catch bad guys … play cops and robbers and that whole thing,” he said. “I never imagined that I’d be negotiating multi-million-dollar, multi-year [tech] contracts as a cop.”

But even with modern advances, Lowe insists technology will never replace an officer’s empathy.

“We can never take the human out of the loop,” he said. “When people contact the police, it’s often not on their best day. It’s to have another human there to empathize and sympathize. It’s the reason why most of us got into this profession — to help others.”

Washington and 35 other states reached a settlement with Hyundai and Kia in which the automakers will provide restitution to consumers and fixes to millions of eligible vehicles nationwide that lacked industry-standard, anti-theft technology.

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown’s office announced details of the settlement Tuesday, in which Hyundai and Kia have agreed to:

• Equip all future vehicles sold in the U.S. with engine immobilizer anti-theft technology;
• Offer free zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protectors to owners or lessees of eligible vehicles, including vehicles that previously were only eligible for the companies’ software updates;
• Provide up to $4.5 million in restitution to eligible consumers whose cars are damaged by thieves; and
• Pay $4.5 million to the states to defray the costs of the investigation. 

Eligible car owners can receive up $4,500 for a total loss or up to $2,250 for a partial loss, according to compensation details on the settlement website. The claim deadline is March 31, 2027.

An engine immobilizer prevents thieves from starting a vehicle’s engine without the vehicle’s “smart” key, which stores the vehicle’s electronic security code. The lack of the necessary tech on cars resulted in “an epidemic of car thefts and joy riding” across Washington and the country,

“Security is a key piece for families looking to buy a vehicle, but Hyundai and Kia spent years selling people cars that lacked the industry’s standard protections,” Brown said in a statement. “Year after year, consumers have been easily victimized because of the automakers’ failure here.”

In late 2020, teenage boys began posting videos on social media describing how to steal the cars simply by removing a plastic piece under the steering wheel and using a USB cord. Posts with the hashtag “Kia Boys” racked up more than 33 million views on TikTok by September 2022, according to CNBC. The videos included teens engaged in reckless driving of the stolen vehicles.

Despite years of evidence, Hyundai and Kia waited until 2023 to launch a service campaign to update the software on most of the affected vehicles, Brown’s office said. The update was easily bypassed by thieves.

Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison filed a similar lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai in January 2023.

“The corporate choices by the automakers to cut corners have had very negative impacts and put the public at risk in Seattle,” Davison said in a statement Tuesday.

She added, “I am confident that we will prevail in our lawsuit, and the car companies will finally be required to help in the fight to improve public safety. My action is not to replace criminal prosecution of car thieves, but to hold corporate actors accountable for making choices that prioritize profit over public safety.”

In May 2023, Hyundai and Kia agreed to a consumer class-action lawsuit settlement worth $200 million over rampant thefts of the Korean automakers’ vehicles. The Seattle City Attorney’s Office said at the time that it was a “good first step for consumers” but that the settlement involving individual owners “does not include the litigation brought by the City.”

Under the new multistate settlement, eligible consumers will be notified by the companies that they will have one year from the date of the notice to make an appointment to have the zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector installed at their local Hyundai or Kia authorized dealerships. Consumers are urged to schedule the installation of the zinc-reinforce ignition cylinder protector as soon as possible.

Consumers who previously installed the software update on their vehicles (or were scheduled to do so) but nonetheless experienced a theft or attempted theft of their vehicle on or after April 29, 2025, are eligible to file a claim for restitution for certain theft and attempted-theft related expenses.  For more information about eligibility and how to submit a claim visit these sites for Hyundai and Kia.

Washington state is part of a newly filed lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging the legality of a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visas that allow highly-skilled individuals to work temporarily in the U.S.

Attorneys general from 20 states claim the U.S. Department of Homeland Security set the fee at an arbitrary amount that does not reflect the agency’s costs, and that the fee was enacted without going through a required notice-and-comment process.

The visa is meant to recruit employees from abroad who have specialized expertise not found in sufficient numbers in the U.S. workforce.

Seattle-based Amazon has roughly 19,100 employees working under H-1B visas nationwide. Microsoft, which is based in Redmond, Wash., nationally employs more than 6,200 H-1B visa holders. Washington’s public universities and agencies have nearly 500 H-1B visa holders on their payrolls, according to federal data and state analysis.

Employers are responsible for paying H-1B fees, which used to run between $960 and $7,595, said Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown’s office. Raising the fees, the state warned, will result in empty university labs and science discoveries “will be made somewhere else.”

“These institutions will lose their competitive edge, particularly in the areas of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and medical fields,” said a press release from Brown’s office.

In announcing the increased fee in September, the Trump administration said the visa was being abused by employers to supplant Americans with “lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.”

“The large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse of the program has undermined both our economic and national security,” said a White House memo addressing restrictions of nonimmigrant workers.

Priyanka Kulkarni, CEO of the immigration tech startup Casium, said the H1-B workers are not low paid, noting that the median salary for the visa holders was about $120,000 last year.

“Engineers, scientists, healthcare specialists, and educators recruited from abroad often fill critical gaps that enable companies and institutions to grow, invest, and create jobs locally,” she added via email.

The Trump administration has specifically called out high-tech companies’ use of the program, saying they “have prominently manipulated the H-1B system, significantly harming American workers in computer-related fields.”

Xiao Wang, CEO of the startup Boundless Immigration, noted that while tech giants are targeted for criticism, the visa also allows for doctors, nurses and researchers to work in the U.S. — echoing some of the concerns raised by Washington’s attorney general.

“Adding a $100K fee for all foreign talent trying to enter Washington to work in these fields would all but eliminate this pathway for anyone outside of the most valuable companies in the world and would leave the state with a significant shortage of important roles,” Wang said by email.

He added that putting a nurse and an AI engineer in the same visa category highlights an overdue need for immigration reform.

Wang called on Americans to demand that Congress “pass new immigration regulations to stay competitive as a country.”