AI in the cloud | Amazon starts letting some warehouse workers listen to music

AI is starting to generate real money for the biggest cloud providers. The latest quarterly results from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google show how artificial intelligence demand is helping to overcome the otherwise sluggish economy for the major cloud platforms. 

• Microsoft is seeing customers start new projects driven entirely by AI, which leads to increased consumption of a range of Azure services, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella (above) said.

• Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said he foresees "a very substantial, gigantic new generative AI opportunity," saying the field will generate "tens of billions of dollars in revenue for AWS over the next several years." Read more.

Music to their ears: A trial program now under way in some Amazon warehouses lets workers in certain situations listen to music, podcasts, and other audio using Bluetooth-enabled earplugs, addressing a longstanding employee request, GeekWire has learned. Read more.

Zulily’s new digs: The e-commerce company has a new Seattle office amid layoffs and other changes following an ownership change. Read more. 

Blue Origin's chief architect, Gary Lai (above), took a suborbital space trip last year. Now he's taking on a new adventure as the chief technology officer for a startup targeting lunar resources. He provided some details after winning a Pathfinder Award from the Museum of Flight. Read more.

Can AI help startups pitch their businesses to investors? That’s the promise of a new “VC pitch coach” from Seattle startup Yoodli. Features include the ability for founders to fine-tune the automated feedback to the temperament of the VC they’ll be speaking with. Read more.

Hot Links:

• “Dungeons & Dragons” maker Wizards of the Coast has committed $5 million to The Autism Center at Seattle Children’s Hospital, a new building for mental and behavioral health services. Above, a ribbon cutting on a new named registration waiting room, featuring, from left: Mendy Boettcher Minjarez, executive director, Seattle Children's Autism Center; Cynthia Williams, president of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Gaming; and Erin Moore, program manager, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals – Seattle Children's Hospital. 

• President Biden released a new executive order Monday that aims to create new standards for AI safety and promote U.S. leadership in AI, among other goals. (The Verge)

• T-Mobile plans to issue a physical USB-style security key to employees for logging into its systems and apps after multiple data breaches. (Reddit, Cord Cutters News)

• The days may be numbered for your third-party Xbox controller. Microsoft has started blocking unauthorized accessories, in part to prevent cheating. (The Verge)

• Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill! … Seahawks rule. Bill Nye, Seattle's favorite Science Guy, revved up the crowd before Sunday’s win over the Browns at Lumen Field. (Twitter, YouTube)

• Explaining AI for profit: Mark Cuban says tech-savvy entrepreneurs should offer paid consulting services to help everyday people and business owners use Alexa, ChatGPT, and other forms of artificial intelligence. (Insider)