Amazon is restructuring fees for sellers | Walmart tech vet leads stealthy AI2 spinout

Amazon is restructuring its fees for sellers who use its fulfillment services, attempting to get products closer to customers, in line with its shift to comprehensive regional fulfillment hubs. 

• Whether overall fees rise or fall for specific sellers will depend in part on whether they choose to ship products to multiple locations in Amazon’s network.

• Amazon’s seller fees are a major focus of the FTC's antitrust suit against the e-commerce giant, filed in September in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Read more.

Seattle Children’s is spinning out BrainChild Bio, a biotech startup tackling cancer in the central nervous system with an initial focus on treatments for children. Dr. Michael Jensen, co-founder of Umoja Biopharma and Juno Therapeutics, is founder and chief scientific officer of BrainChild Bio. Read more. 

A group of self-described “LLM hipsters” are behind a new Seattle startup called Spiffy that recently spun out of the AI2 Incubator and aims to help retail companies rethink customer service. Spiffy CEO Aniket Deosthali previously helped Walmart build its generative AI-powered shopping assistant. Read more. 

Expense software company Center raised $30 million to add new features and explore potential partnerships with banks. Read more. 

It’s not too late to grab a GeekWire Gala ticket! Our annual holiday party can be your holiday party, Wednesday in downtown Seattle at the Showbox Market. All the details here.

Quantum computing platform available via Amazon cloud: IonQ has opened up its most advanced system for public availability through the cloud-based Braket Direct Program, in a move that should widen use of the platform. Read more.

Tech Moves: Amazon Web Services community head departing; Pfizer exec joins Truveta board; UW Medicine names CEO; and more personnel changes.

Hot Links:

• Ethics and generative AI: Employees at Seattle startup OctoML reportedly raised concerns about the company’s role in helping a customer generate what could be considered as explicit AI images of children. OctoML tells GeekWire that it’s taking proper measures to ensure safety. (404 Media)

• Microsoft is adding new features to its Copilot service, including OpenAI’s latest models. (The Verge) 

• Seattle entrepreneur Joe Heitzeberg shows how off-the-shelf open source projects can be used to create deepfake videos — it’s both fascinating and perhaps worrisome. (LinkedIn) 

• AI is helping Microsoft’s communications team analyze meetings, brainstorm ideas, prepare spokespeople, and more. (Microsoft) 

• A new study shows that exposure to “soft robots” helps ease human fears about working with them. (Washington State University)

• Microsoft launched its Seeing AI app, which uses artificial intelligence to “narrate the world” for users, including reading mail and identifying everyday items. (Microsoft)

• Legal-tech comedy: Jacqueline Schafer, CEO at Seattle startup Clearbrief, pokes fun at the recent AiPin launch video. (LinkedIn)