AI, startups, and the next big opportunity in tech

The massive startup opportunity in the years ahead is not in consumer AI services but rather in applying the power of large language models and generative AI to the much larger world of business data and applications. That's one of the takeaways from Nataraj Sindam (above), host of the "Startup Project" podcast, who joins us on a new episode of the GeekWire Podcast.

“Blue screen of death” at the ballpark: As the Seattle Mariners came to bat in a tie game against the Los Angeles Angels last month, a video meant to hype the T-Mobile Park crowd and rally the team looked like a major fail. But instead it touched a tech nerve, sparked a win and went viral. And it illustrated how a small, experiential marketing team has tapped into meme culture to become a hit with baseball fans. Read more. 

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

• June 22: Pratham AI Hackathon 2024

• June 25: BDA’s Annual State of the City: Set for Success

• June 26: CloudNativeSecurityCon North America

• June 26: UK Tech Showcase Reception

• June 26: Pride Tech Night

• June 27: Where AI meets humanity in healthcare: What’s next?

Check out the GeekWire Calendar for more.

🔥 Hot Links:

• Amazon is reportedly revamping its Alexa voice service and considering a premium version that would cost around $5 per month. (Reuters)

• University of Washington researchers found that ChatGPT is biased against resumes that imply a disability. (UW News)

• AI is already having a noticeable impact on freelance work, especially for writers and artists. (Wall Street Journal)

• Microsoft Windows keyboard shortcut nerds are getting thrown for another loop with the latest change in the “Win+C” functionality. (Ars Technica)

Thanks for subscribing to the GeekWire newsletter, and have a great weekend. — GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop, todd@geekwire.com; and GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser, kurt@geekwire.com.